Just How Much Of Planned Parenthood’s Activities Are Abortion Services?

By Yashwanth Manjunath

Three percent! That’s right, just 3% of Planned Parenthood’s activities constitute abortion services (as you can see by the handy chart). This differs slightly from Jon Kyl’s estimate this morning that 90% of what Planned Parenthood does is provide abortions.

The other 97% of what Planned Parenthood does is provide essential primary health services for low and middle-income women. Stuff like cancer screenings, contraception, and STD testing and treatment. In fact, 75% of women who visit Planned Parenthood are below 150% of the poverty line. For many low-income women, Planned Parenthood is their only source of affordable health care. Not that low-income women have ever mattered to the affluent, white men who dominate the Republican Party…

Oh, and none of the federal money that Planned Parenthood receives is allowed to be spent on abortion services. We have this thing called the Hyde Amendment that has been preventing that for the past 35 years.

So are Republicans really going to shut down the government unless Democrats agree to cut funding for cancer screening and STD testing for low-income women?

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