FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 27, 2017
Contact: Mallory Quigley, [email protected], 202-223-8073
Congress Should Redirect Taxpayer Funding from America’s #1 Abortion Provider to Comprehensive, Whole-Woman Health Care
Washington, D.C. – Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List) announced a two-week long television ad buy urging Congress to redirect taxpayer funding from Planned Parenthood, America’s largest abortion provider, to comprehensive health care centers. The 30-second ad will air in the Washington, D.C. media market during Fox News’ Fox & Friends and MSNBC’s Morning Joe, answering deceptive spots from Planned Parenthood running during the same time frame.
“How quickly Planned Parenthood has changed its tune,” said Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser. “After reaching a new level of boldness in last year’s election, the nation’s largest abortion provider has launched a last-ditch PR effort to rebrand as a place committed to counseling and providing resources for women to enable them to keep their children. This deception flies in the face of new evidence from Live Action, which has documented Planned Parenthood employees admitting that the overwhelming majority of its affiliates do not offer prenatal care – and only do ultrasounds in service to abortion.
“Planned Parenthood spent thirty million dollars to try to elect a woman who is an extreme defender of abortion. Hillary Clinton called for the repeal of the Hyde Amendment – popular bipartisan legislation to stop taxpayer funding of abortion – and her defense of late-term abortion in the final debate helped lead to her defeat. The American people elected a president and Congress committed to stopping taxpayer funding of abortion and abortion businesses. We urge Congress to continue working towards this goal. Planned Parenthood is profit-driven, abortion-centered business that does not need or deserve taxpayer dollars and redirecting their taxpayer funding to community health centers would be a win for women’s health.”
The script of the ad is as follows:
VO: What is Planned Parenthood really about? Breast cancer screenings?
Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood President: “We do not have mammogram machines at our health centers.”
VO: Prenatal care?
Audio of Phone Call with a Planned Parenthood employee: “No, we don’t do prenatal services. I mean. It’s called Planned Parenthood. I know it’s kind of deceiving.”
VO: Planned Parenthood does abortions. 300,000 a year. And it’s faced federal investigation for selling baby body parts. Planned Parenthood doesn’t deserve our tax dollars. Redirect their funding to real health care centers for women.
This TV ad spot is part of a $500,000 campaign including a D.C.-area radio ad, phone calls and digital advertising in key states, and a day of more than 200 #ProtestPP rallies nationwide on February 11.
A January 2017 poll found that a majority or plurality of voters in 2018 Senate battleground states oppose giving tax dollars to Planned Parenthood, America’s largest abortion provider, instead of comprehensive healthcare providers. A majority in North Dakota, Montana, Ohio, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Florida also said they would be less likely to vote for Senators who support sending tax dollars to the abortion giant rather than community health centers.
Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, performs more than 323,000 abortions per year and has done nearly one million abortions in the last three years. Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health centers outnumber Planned Parenthood facilities by a 20:1 ratio.
Susan B. Anthony List and its connected super PAC, Women Speak Out spent more than $18 million in the 2016 election cycle, knocking on more than 1.1 million doors in battleground states to defeat Hillary Clinton and maintain a pro-life Senate. SBA List is dedicated to pursuing policies and electing candidates who will reduce and ultimately end abortion. To that end, the SBA List emphasizes the education, promotion, mobilization, and election of pro-life women. The SBA List is a network of more than 465,000 pro-life Americans nationwide.
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