On Tuesday, Congressional GOP leaders unveiled their new health care bill that’s supposed to repeal and replace ObamaCare, much to the chagrin of liberals and some conservatives. CBS came out strongly against the proposal and backed up Planned Parenthood in their stand against President Donald Trump. “Planned Parenthood is saying no deal to a proposal from president Trump,” announced anchor Scott Pelley during CBS Evening News, “He said that he would keep funding the nation's largest family planning provider if it stopped providing abortions.
Reporter Anna Werner began her report with an interview with a young woman at a local Washington, DC area Planned Parenthood facility. “It does make me very angry when I hear about politicians sort of looking to defund an organization that does so much good for so many women,” the woman said.
“One in five women in the U.S. have visited a Planned Parenthood clinic,” Werner declared before playing a clip from one of the organization’s ads. “A lot of people go the Planned Parenthood for just one reason – The flu shot. Controlling asthma,” the clip asserted.
Werner went on to praise the work of the nation’s largest abortion provider:
The vast majority of health service, 97 percent, range from preventing unintended pregnancies and cancer screenings to STD testing. And Planned Parenthood does get $500 million from the federal government for clinics nationwide, most of which comes from Medicaid reimbursement, but none of that money goes for abortions.
The CBS reporter then chastised Republicans for wanting to cut off federal funding, stating, “And yet the Republican's plan to overhaul the Affordable Care Act would stop any patient with coverage with Medicaid or another provider from using Planned Parenthood.” She failed to explain that, even though the federal funds don’t go directly to abortions, it does free up their budget to conduct the procedures because there is more money to go around.
“The organization says cutting off 1.5 million primarily poor or minority women from their Planned Parenthood health services and taking a huge bite out of the non-profit's funding,” Werner parroted as she led into a sit-down interview she conducted with a Planned Parenthood executive. “It is really defunding women from being able to use their Medicaid insurance to come to Planned Parenthood for care,” the executive smeared.
In defense of the bill and of the President, Werner only read a single sentence from Trump’s communication with the news outlet. "‘I am pro-life and I am deeply committed to investing in women's health and plan to significantly increase federal funding in support of non-abortion services such as cancer screenings,’" she read.
Transcript below:
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CBS Evening News
March 7, 2017
6:38:30 PM EasternSCOTT PELLEY: Planned Parenthood is saying no deal to a proposal from president Trump. He said that he would keep funding the nation's largest family planning provider if it stopped providing abortions. We have more now from Anna Werner.
[Cuts to video]
ANNA WERNER: Planned Parenthood clinics like this one in Washington, D.C., provide reproductive health care services for women like Nora Franco.
NORA FRANCO: It does make me very angry when I hear about politicians sort of looking to defund an organization that does so much good for so many women.
WERNER: One in five women in the U.S. have visited a Planned Parenthood clinic.
PLANNED PARENTHOOD AD: A lot of people go the Planned Parenthood for just one reason – The flu shot. Controlling asthma.
WERNER: The vast majority of health service, 97 percent, range from preventing unintended pregnancies and cancer screenings to STD testing. And Planned Parenthood does get $500 million from the federal government for clinics nationwide, most of which comes from Medicaid reimbursement, but none of that money goes for abortions.
And yet the Republican's plan to overhaul the Affordable Care Act would stop any patient with coverage with Medicaid or another provider from using Planned Parenthood. The organization says cutting off 1.5 million primarily poor or minority women from their Planned Parenthood health services and taking a huge bite out of the non-profit's funding. Planned Parenthood executive Dawn Laguens.
DAWN LAGUENS: It is really defunding women from being able to use their Medicaid insurance to come to Planned Parenthood for care.
WERNER: Donald Trump acknowledged Planned Parenthood’s services during the presidential campaign but said when it came to federal subsidies...
DONALD TRUMP: I would defund it because I'm pro-life, but millions of women are helped by Planned Parenthood.
[Cuts back to live]
WERNER: Now in a statement to CBS News, Mr. Trump said, "I am pro-life and I am deeply committed to investing in women's health and plan to significantly increase federal funding in support of non-abortion services such as cancer screenings." Scott?
PELLEY: Anna Werner for us tonight. Anna, thank you.
