Defunding Planned Parenthood—which provides the majority of abortion procedures in the United States—has been at the center of the Republican political agenda for nearly two years. During his campaign, president Donald Trump repeatedly echoed calls to defund the organization and promised to do so if elected.
Now, the president has taken that promise in a different direction. The White House today proposed allowing Planned Parenthood to keep receiving its $500 million annual funding if—and this is a big if—it drops abortions from its clinic’s offerings.
[twitter][/twitter]The White House told Planned Parenthood its federal funding could stay if abortions go. The group refused. https://t.co/zxdTGo8G7H
— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 6, 2017
In a statement to The New York Times, Trump said:
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As I said throughout the campaign, I am pro-life and I am deeply committed to investing in women’s health and plan to significantly increase federal funding in support of nonabortion services such as cancer screenings. Polling shows the majority of Americans oppose public funding for abortion, even those who identify as pro-choice. There is an opportunity for organizations to continue the important work they do in support of women’s health, while not providing abortion services.
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According to the paper, the White House’s proposal was never formally presented, and Planned Parenthood officials have already rejected the idea.
