Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina called out Donald Trump today for using “the Democrat Party’s talking points” on Planned Parenthood.
“Unfortunately, I think Mr. Trump is taking the Democrat Party’s talking points on Planned Parenthood,” Fiorina said on CBS News. “There are many other organizations that exist to help women with their health — issue pap smears, mammograms, etcetera.”
“In fact Planned Parenthood does very few mammograms, just as one example, but what they do is a whole lot of abortions,” she continued. “And those Planned Parenthood clinics are specifically located in poorer communities. There are many in the African American communities who believe Planned Parenthood is preying on their communities.”
.@CarlyFiorina: @realDonaldTrump is taking Democrats' talking points on Planned Parenthood http://t.co/EAsu6Mexcy http://t.co/JMS6AiRgMI
— CBSN (@CBSNLive) August 12, 2015
Trump backed off an earlier call to defund Planned Parenthood Tuesday, saying he would look at “the good aspects” of the organization he also called “an abortion factory.” Planned Parenthood quickly issued a statement applauding Trump for coming to its defense and refusing to take an “extreme” position.
“The problem that I have with Planned Parenthood is the abortion situation,” Trump said. “It is like an abortion factory, frankly,” Trump said on CNN. “And you can’t have it. And you just shouldn’t be funding it. That should not be funded by the government, and I feel strongly about that.”
It’s already illegal for Planned Parenthood to use any of the half a billion dollars it receives each year from the federal government for abortion services.
“What I would do when the time came, I’d look at the individual things they do, and maybe some of the individual things they do are good,” he continued. “I know a lot of the things are bad. But certainly the abortion aspect of it should not be funded by government, absolutely.”
Planned Parenthood and its supporters are pushing back against renewed criticism following the release of videos showing how clinics harvest aborted fetuses and provide them to researchers for a fee. They’re arguing women will lose access to other vital healthcare services they provide if the government stops funding their clinics.
This report, by Rachel Stoltzfoos, was cross-posted by arrangement with the Daily Caller News Foundation.
