If your mother tells you she loves you, good journalists know you’re supposed to check. The same thing applies when Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards claims that the abortion giant is nonpartisan. Unfortunately, the Washington Post’s Amber Phillips skipped this step.
Yesterday the reporter copied and pasted a Planned Parenthood talking point when she reported that “the nonpartisan healthcare clinic … has been in conservative’s crosshairs for more than a year now.” And while it’s true that Planned Parenthood has been under attack from the right, it’s demonstrably false that they’re nonpartisan.
Before counting the ways, a brief distinction should be made concerning how the abortion giant incorporates. To keep its tax-exempt status, Planned Parenthood for America doesn’t dirty its hands with politics directly, delegating that task to their political action committee instead. The muscle of the abortion lobby (and by far its largest single practitioner), Planned Parenthood Action Fund does the partisan pushing and shoving.
And following the money shows that the pro-abortion PAC pushes almost exclusively in a liberal direction. Filings from 2016 show that Planned Parenthood spent more than a million dollars filling the war chests of pro-abortion candidates — 99 percent of PPPAC’s money went to Democrats.
While 170 House and Senate Democrats benefited from Planned Parenthood’s patronage, only two Republicans got a check. Sen. Mark Kirk and Rep. Robert Dold, both of Illinois, received $2,500 and $7,500 respectively. The money did little to improve their electoral chances, though. Both lost their bids for re-election. The group’s presidential endorsements haven’t been much more helpful.
Since they began endorsing presidential candidates in 2004, the Planned Parenthood PAC has given their blessing exclusively to Democrats. First John Kerry, then Barrack Obama, and most recently Hillary Clinton received the pro-abortion stamp of approval. In fact, Planned Parenthood was so eager to endorse Clinton that they endorsed the former Secretary of State before she clinched the Democrat nomination.
Unsatisfied to just endorse, Planned Parenthood has been present at the last four Democrat National Conventions. At two of those meetings, Richards actually rallied the crowd from the main stage. For someone who heads a nonpartisan group, it seems the Planned Parenthood president really enjoys partying with Democrats.
None of this is unexpected or out of the ordinary. Abortion serves as a convenient dividing line in American politics. A quick glance at the Republican and Democrat platforms shows diametrically opposing positions. What’s surprising is that a journalist at a national paper of record would just regurgitate Planned Parenthood’s attempts at false branding.
The abortion provider is anything but nonpartisan. If Phillips doubts this, she should follow the money, look up their endorsements, and see what kind of political company Planned Parenthood keeps.
Philip Wegmann is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
