A newly released poll shows that most Americans support cutting Planned Parenthood’s taxpayer funding after being told about health and safety concerns at the nation’s largest abortion provider.
A CRC Research survey for the Life Leadership Conference showed that 60% of registered voters polled agree with eliminating Planned Parenthood’s public funding, a provision in the federal budget reconciliation bill now before the Senate.
The poll question cited an explosive report about the decline in health care quality at Planned Parenthood affiliates, referring to a Feb. 15 expose in The New York Times headlined, “Botched care and tired staff: Planned Parenthood in crisis.”
The question said the report described “botched care, substandard facilities, medical negligence, inadequate staff training, unsanitary conditions, and using funds for lobbying and legal efforts instead of medical care.”
“Do you support or oppose continued taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood given these unresolved issues?” asked the poll, the results of which were shared with The Washington Times ahead of their Monday release.
The survey found that 29% support taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood, 60% oppose it and 12% have no opinion.
The poll also found that 70% agree with using public funding for local pregnancy resource centers that offer prenatal care, diapers, cribs and other services, but not abortion or gender-transition drugs. Just 22% opposed it, and 8% were undecided.
The Washington Times has reached out to Planned Parenthood for comment.
David Bereit, executive director of the Life Leadership Conference, said the poll shows the public is behind defunding Planned Parenthood, which would be accomplished in the reconciliation bill largely by ending the organization’s Medicaid reimbursements.
“Americans have spoken, overwhelmingly rejecting the continued use of taxpayer dollars to subsidize Planned Parenthood’s dangerous, substandard care that endangers women’s health,” Mr. Bereit said in a statement.
“Taxpayers have made their preference clear: Congress must immediately stop forced taxpayer funding of abortion providers to free up resources for safe, compassionate, life-affirming pregnancy resource centers and community health centers that genuinely help women — rather than harm them,” he said.
The online survey of 1,600 registered voters nationwide was conducted June 3-8, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.45 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The respondent breakdown was 49% men and 51% women, and 33% Republican, 35% independent and 32% Democrat.
The Life Leadership Conference poll comes in stark contrast with a previous survey released by Planned Parenthood, which found that more than 70% oppose defunding — but the questions were worded quite differently.
The Jan. 22 poll conducted by PerryUndem Research asked if voters support having the Trump administration “take away funds from Planned Parenthood that are used for birth control for people with low incomes.” The poll found 77% opposed the idea and 23% supported it.
A second question asked if poll-takers favored having Congress “take away funds from Planned Parenthood for providing birth control, wellness exams, and cancer screenings.” The query drew a similar breakdown, with 73% opposed and 27% in support.
The questions made no mention of abortion, even though Planned Parenthood has long been the nation’s largest abortion provider, and the defunding push is driven largely by opposition to its abortion services.
