Today, Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List) President Marjorie Dannenfelser fact-checked former President Bill Clinton’s reaction to Congressional efforts to defund Planned Parenthood of its taxpayer funding, saying:
“President Clinton believes that taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood means fewer abortions. If that were true, that would mean that the number of abortions performed by Planned Parenthood in 2000, the last year of Clinton’s presidency, would be much higher than current levels since taxpayer funding has increased every year since. From 2000 to 2009, Planned Parenthood saw an 80 percent increase in taxpayer funding, receiving $202 million in 2000 and $363 million in 2009.
“The truth is, more taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood equals more abortions. In 2000, Planned Parenthood performed 197,070 abortions while making 2,486 adoption referrals. In 2009, they performed 332,278 abortions and made just 977 adoption referrals. That means an 80 percent increase in taxpayer funding resulted in a 69 percent increase in the number of abortions and a 61 percent decrease in the number of adoption referrals.
“Clinton also claims that ending taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood will end the ability of women to receive family planning services, cancer screenings, and preventative healthcare. But according to a report by the Chiaroscuro Foundation, poor women and women generally have other options. In addition to the tens of thousands of U.S. doctors and hospitals providing this care, there are 1,048 federally qualified health centers in the U.S. providing care as well. And Planned Parenthood, with nearly a billion dollars in net assets, would still be free to operate on its own dime.
“President Clinton talks a lot about making abortion rare. If he’s serious about doing so, he should back efforts to defund America’s leading abortion provider of taxpayer funding. The numbers are indisputable.”
