Planned Parenthood officials are advising Democratic state legislators against even acknowledging the pro-life side of the abortion debate.
Deirdre Schifeling, the national director of organizing and electoral campaigns for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, spoke to a crowd of Democratic state legislators at the State Innovation Exchange conference in Washington, D.C., Friday. Schifeling advised candidates about how to grow support for pro-choice policies.
“Talking about the complexity, talking about ‘it’s a personal decision,’ but not going so far as to say ‘I recognize some people think this is a sin’, or ‘this is immoral’,” Schifeling said. “Not necessary, not helpful.” A 2013 Pew Research Center poll found that half of Americans said having an abortion is immoral, while only 15 percent said it was morally acceptable.
Schifeling also said Planned Parenthood wishes Medicaid would cover abortion. “Unfortunately, the federal government does not cover abortion services through the Medicaid program, except in extreme circumstances. …That money does not go to cover abortion, unfortunately. We think that that’s discriminatory against poor women.”
Since undercover videos were released of Planned Parenthood officials appearing to negotiate the sale of aborted babies for profit, Planned Parenthood has faced a firestorm of criticism, and numerous state and federal efforts to eliminate the taxpayer funding it receives. Shifeling cited 15 “anti-women’s health votes in Congress, including four specific votes to defund Planned Parenthood.” On the state level, 15 states have considered defunding Planned Parenthood, and there have been 17 state investigations into Planned Parenthood’s healthcare operations.
Jason Russell is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
