Live Q&As

As best as we can figure, it is in the 30% to 40% range.  Planned Parenthood does not publish how it spends its budget.  What we do know, however, is that about 330,000 abortions were performed last year, while about 7,000 prenatal visits were offered, and less than a thousand adoption referrals were made.

Clearly, the real issue here is that this entity receives $350 million in taxpayer subsidies.  Meanwhile, there's mounting evidence that this entity is concealing rape, sexual abuse, incest, and numerous other crimes.  In fact, in my own state of Kansas they are under indictment for more than 100 different criminal counts. 

None of Planned Parenthood's federal dollars go to abortions.  The federal government spends $300 million on family planning services (not abortion), most of which goes to Planned Parenthood for health care services, birth control and family planning.  In these tough economic times, many women who have lost their jobs and health insurance rely on Planned Parenthood for their annual checkups and I do not think we should reduce their funding for those activities.

Planned Parenthood does not pay for abortions with taxpayer dollars.  Period.  The federal funds received by Planned Parenthood go for women's health services like cancer screening and pregnancy prevention.  It would be illegal to use federal taxpayer money to pay for abortions.

Yes, with taxpayer funds.  Medicaid does permit taxpayer-funded abortions.  The District of Columbia is paying for abortions with taxpayer funds.  In addition to that, this is an entity that continues to conceal sexual abuse and protect predators.  Such an entity is undeserving of taxpayer subsidies.  In a related situation, the U.S. Congress and President chose to defund ACORN, believing they were undeserving of taxpayer dollars.  

Yes, I have visited  Planned Parenthood offices many times.  I was a member of the Board of Directors of the Colorado PP for several years in the 1990's.  I well know that the services they provide are health care services for a broad section of American women.

Most CPCs do not get federal funds.  I am a huge proponent of these types of services that help women instead of hurt them.  My wife and I have been long-time supporters of these types of CPCs, and in fact are the proud parents of four children who are adopted. 

If Crisis Pregnancy Centers perform Title X services and meet the other criteria, I'm sure they could apply for the money.  I don't know if they perform these health care services like annual checkups, cancer screenings, and pregancy prevention.  I think most of them just perform counselling services for pregnant women.

I agree that we should not hold womens' health care hostage to the budget negotiations.  We should have Congressional hearings about the efficacy of Title X programs and if they are proven to work we should fund them.

There is no constitutional right to be subsidized by the government. 

We have never said that organizations that fund full reproductive services (including abortion) with private  dollars should not be able to use the private money.  I think that would be a radical expansion of restrictions on a woman's right to choose.  Public money is now spent on pregnancy prevention and health services, and that seems appropriate to me since many women do not have access to those services in this tough economy.

We believe that it has grown.  But, it's kind of interesting, we use numbers from Guttmacher Institute, which is funded by Planned Parenthood.  The number of abortions have nearly doubled in the past 12 years. 

Planned Parenthood is a non-profit organization.  They use the money they make from the services they can charge for to expand services in underserved areas, like urban X family planning money, although they are the largest.

I agree completely.  Planned Parenthood is a non-profit, but had millions of dollars in net revenue last year.  That is very shocking, especially for an entity that was founded to promote eugenics and race-based policies. I think that is fundamentally un-American. 

It is one-third of a billion dollars.  That adds up.