Planned Parenthood is expected to spend $45 million on the 2020 election backing candidates who favor abortion; reaction and analysis from Former Planned Parenthood clinic director Abby Johnson.
The $45 million Planned Parenthood has pledged for 2020 candidates would be better spent on health care for low-income women, former Planned Parenthood director and pro-life advocate Abby Johnson said Saturday.
The pledge marks the organization’s biggest electoral effort in its history, supporting presidential, congressional and state-level candidates. Earlier this week, the group launched its “WeDecide2020” campaign in six key battleground states.
Appearing on “Fox & Friends: Weekend” with host Rachel Campos-Duffy, Johnson noted that while Planned Parenthood sunk over $25 million in the 2016 campaign, President Trump still upset former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Johnson told Campos-Duffy that the political campaign “isn’t really about health care for them.”
“Health care is down very, very low on their list of priorities,” she said. The organization lost $60 million in Title X funding “by their choosing, because they refused to stop referring and providing abortions.”
“And, instead of saying, ‘You know, well OK, we are going to take this $45 million and put it into health care for low-income women’ … they’re putting it and investing it into fringe candidates who believe in abortion up until birth,” Johnson said.
“Our country is at a crossroads, but now it’s time for us to reclaim our power,” Jenny Lawson, Planned Parenthood Votes executive director, said in a statement. “In 2020, we’re fighting back and electing reproductive champions up and down the ballot — because our futures depend on it.”
Johnson said the 2020 election is extremely important for Planned Parenthood. “If they can win this election, they can overturn state [anti-abortion] regulations that have been very effective nationwide,” she said.
By Julia Musto
