Donald Trump: Planned Parenthood “does do wonderful things”

In Saturday’s ninth GOP presidential debate, Donald Trump shared just how far his pro-life values go when he expressed his admiration and praise for Planned Parenthood.

In a heated exchange with Senator Ted Cruz over the abortion giant, Trump exclaimed about Planned Parenthood that “it does do wonderful things but not as it relates to abortion.”

Cruz called Trump out for the businessman’s past openness to keeping taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood.  This exchange was reportedly the second most discussed of the entire debate on Twitter, with many expressing surprise over Trump’s praise of the most pro-abortion organization in America.

In August 2015, Live Action News reported on comments Trump had made concerning taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood:

One week after calling for a government shutdown if necessary to defund Planned Parenthood, presidential candidate Donald Trump has expressed willingness to let the abortion giant receive federal tax dollars for non-abortion services, Breitbart reports.

While Trump has called for the defunding of Planned Parenthood specifically on abortion, he appears to support taxpayer dollars being funneled to the abortion giant for other health care services – despite the fact that over 13,000 other community and federally qualified health care centers exist throughout the nation. These 13,000 health centers specifically serve low-income women and their families and do not perform abortions.

Trump stated that, if he were president, he would “look at the individual things they [Planned Parenthood] do… I’m sure they do some things properly and good and that are good for women.” Trump’s statements indicate he would rather deny the fungibility of money – an odd problem, considering his business background. In fact, Trump is practically making Planned Parenthood’s argument for them, by advocating for possible taxpayer funding even though the organization is America’s biggest abortion provider.

In October, LifeNews reported on an additional statement by Donald Trump on Planned Parenthood’s taxpayer funding.

When asked about the smaller non-abortion component of what Planned Parenthood does, Trump appeared to be alright with taxpayer funding.

“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. …”

Trump – while condemning Planned Parenthood’s abortions and stating he does not support direct taxpayer funding of abortion – continues to praise the supposed “good” Planned Parenthood does, insists on pointing it out, and assures voters he would consider funding some of Planned Parenthood’s activities. His comments demonstrate a number of failures, but one is certainly the failure to recognize that Planned Parenthood is hardly the only organization to provide “basic health care” for women.

Another failure is Trump’s propensity to speak about Planned Parenthood from two sides of his mouth, alternately saying abortion is horrible while still praising the nation’s biggest abortion giant. During the debate, Cruz referred to a video that compiled Trump’s own quotes in support of Planned Parenthood. Many such videos exist, including the one below:

In another statement during the debate, Trump mentioned Seventh Circuit Judge Diane Sykes as a possible U.S. Supreme Court justice. Sykes is the author of the opinion that struck down Indiana’s law that would have defunded Planned Parenthood in the state. In other words, a potential nominee suggested by Donald Trump is a woman who stopped a state from defunding the abortion giant. Earlier, Trump named his sister – a judge who vocally advocated for partial birth abortion – as a potential Supreme Court nominee.

No doubt pundits will discuss what impact Trump’s statement that Planned Parenthood “does do wonderful things” will have with voters – specifically conservatives and Evangelicals. The vote in South Carolina on February 20 may provide the answer.