[caption id=”attachment_146166″ align=”aligncenter” width=”4986″]Republican presidential candidate, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, speaks during a town hall style campaign stop, at the VFW in Englewood, Colo., Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
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The issue of Planned Parenthood and taxpayer funding for the abortion provider has found its way into discussions with presidential hopefuls, including on Twitter.
While at a town hall event on Tuesday, Jeb Bush said “absolutely we need to redirect resources towards women’s health issues” with regards to women veterans. He also said he doesn’t “think Planned Parenthood ought to get a penny though… because they’re not actually doing women’s health issues. They’re involved in something way different than that.” His comments were met with applause.
His Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton didn’t feel the same way.
She tweeted out, “Jeb is wrong.” Her tweet touted figures about Planned Parenthood’s health services.
Jeb is just wrong.
✔️ 2.7 million patients for
✔️ 900K cancer screenings and
✔️ 4.5M STI tests and treatments/year https://t.co/dpbWI0jn1E
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 25, 2015
Clinton’s tweet mentions 900,000 cancer screenings and 4.5 million STI tests and treatments each year. Such services have decreased, however, under the current Planned Parenthood CEO and president, Cecile Richards, as analyzed by Americans United for Life.
Planned Parenthood has had Clinton as a supporter even before her campaign announcement. In 2009, Clinton was given the group’s highest honor, the Margaret Sanger award. As a presidential candidate, Clinton has consistently taken to social media as the place to communicate her message and views. Since Tuesday, she has tweeted several times about Bush and Planned Parenthood.
One tweet also attacked other GOP candidates.
Reminder: Jeb isn’t the only Republican who wants to defund Planned Parenthood. Hillary’s message to all of them:
https://t.co/aayHEMCfNl
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 25, 2015
Bush has spoken against Planned Parenthood previously. Though he later clarified such statements, Bush mentioned that he is “not sure we need half a billion dollars in funding for women’s health programs.”
Bush said that he “misspoke” by grouping Planned Parenthood with other health care centers. According to Planned Parenthood’s latest annual report, $528.4 million of its funding came from government sources. Bush is in support of funding other health care centers.
Bush’s tweet in response to Clinton, included a map and article from The Daily Signal, “If Planned Parenthood Loses Government Funding, Here’s a Map of Health Clinics That Could Take Its Place.” He said, “Let’s support quality women’s health programs instead @HillaryClinton,” mentioning that “PP treatment of unborn has been horrifying.”
PP treatment of unborn has been horrifying. Let’s support quality women’s health programs instead @HillaryClinton http://t.co/WkUauD4pYL
— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) August 25, 2015
Bush is referring to those health centers which could be funded in place of Planned Parenthood. A majority of Senators voted to do just that earlier this month. Such a proposal did not earn the necessary 60 votes to pass, however.
The map included in the piece is compiled by Alliance Defending Freedom and Charlotte Lozier Institute. It highlights that such health centers, of which there are 13,540 of them, outweigh the 665 Planned Parenthood locations.
Unlike Planned Parenthood, such health care centers provide comprehensive health services, but not abortions.
Planned Parenthood has included in their annual report that abortion services only make up 3 percent services. This is a figure the group and its supporters often repeat. However, the Washington Post’s Fact Checker gave such a claim “three pinocchios” which means there are “significant factual errors and/or obvious contradictions.”