Poll: The more Ohioans know truth about Planned Parenthood, the more they support defunding

Majority of Ohioans agree that taxpayer funding should be redirected to trustworthy women’s health centers

Thursday, Oct 29, 2015

Attorney sound bite:  Kevin Theriot

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. –  A Public Opinion Strategies poll that Alliance Defending Freedom commissioned shows that the majority of Ohioans are in favor of defunding Planned Parenthood and redirecting women to health care clinics in light of controversial videos released by the Center for Medical Progress, which show the abortion giant negotiating the sale of fetal body parts.
 
“Taxpayers in Ohio should not be forced to fund a billion-dollar corporation that was caught on camera negotiating the sale of baby body parts,” said ADF Senior Counsel Kevin Theriot. “Recently released undercover videos and reports on fraud and the cover up of sexual abuse in Ohio exposed the horrific truth about Planned Parenthood that every American should know. Our tax dollars should fund local public health clinics that provide comprehensive care to women, such as mammograms and glaucoma testing, and, not provide $500 million in corporate welfare for Planned Parenthood’s abortion business.” (#DefundPP)
 
The poll revealed the following findings:
 
  • Sixty-seven percent of Ohioans agree that Congress should help community clinics provide affordable and comprehensive health services. However, continuing to fund Planned Parenthood, which is currently under investigation for the sale of fetal body parts, is not the way to do that.
  • Sixty-eight percent of Ohioans agree that taxpayers should not subsidize an organization like Planned Parenthood, which recent undercover videos reveal as potentially illegally harvesting and selling baby parts. Rather, the government should redirect funding to the thousands of health clinics around the country that provide low-cost, comprehensive, high-quality health care to women.
  • Sixty-four percent of Ohioans agree that Congress should end taxpayer funding to Planned Parenthood, which received more than $528 million dollars in taxpayer funding in 2014. Planned Parenthood should operate using the almost $700 million dollars in annual revenue it receives from private sources.
 
“Government officials have a duty to investigate the illegal and unethical practices of Planned Parenthood,” added Theriot. “The evidence in these videos and reports are clear. We urge the government to hear the people of Ohio and put an end to public subsidies that fund this organization and its barbaric practices.”
 
Public Opinion Strategies is one of the nation’s leading public opinion research firms. It conducted the poll through a statewide telephone survey of 600 adults in Ohio on Aug. 24 and 25, 2015.
 
  • Map: U.S. health care clinics compared to U.S. Planned Parenthood clinics
  • Resource page: Planned Parenthood: the whole story
  • Pronunciation guide: Theriot (TAIR-ee’-oh)
 
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization that advocates for the right of people to freely live out their faith.

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ABOUT Kevin Theriot

Kevin Theriot serves as senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, where he is a key member of the Center for Life Team working to defend pro-life laws and speech and protect medical rights of conscience. He has litigated cases in the areas of religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and marriage and family. Theriot is admitted to the bar in eight states, the U.S. Supreme Court, and numerous other federal courts of appeal and district courts. Theriot received his law degree from Vanderbilt University and has been litigating First Amendment issues since 1993.


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