The Planned Parenthood abortion business has responded to a new expose’ video from Live Action showing its staffers admitting it doesn’t need taxpayer funding because legitimate medical centers offer the same kind of health care.
Undercover phone calls released yesterday show Planned Parenthood of Indiana abortion business staffers admitting that they are not the only source of women’s health care for women on Medicaid, even though denying women heath care has become the thrust of its argument against losing taxpayer funds.
One reason Planned gives in a new response for why it needs taxpayer funding is that it offers different services from other Medicaid providers. However, federally-funded non-abortion health care clinics offer all of the services Planned Parenthood does, and more, with the exception of abortions. That makes it appear Planned Parenthood is saying it needs state taxpayer funding in Indiana because it does abortions.
Planned Parenthood’s new statement says: “We focused on helping our patients – even those posing as “patients” – to find reproductive health care during the short period of time we were unable to provide services covered by Medicaid. We maintain, as we’ve said all along, that just because there are other providers does not mean they offer the same patient-friendly hours, are accepting new Medicaid patients or offer the same services that PPIN offers.”
Live Action president Lila Rose, in an email to LifeNews, says the video showing Planned Parenthood deceiving the public and lawmakers into believing the abortion business is vital to women’s health is accurate. Rose said there are 800 other facilities in Indiana that take Medicaid, provide the same services, and most likely offer those patient-friendly hours everyone reportedly loves at Planned Parenthood.
“The basis of these rationalizations are false. In a matter of minutes, Live Action easily found numerous Medicaid providers in Indiana ready and able to accept new patients,” she told LifeNews. “Planned Parenthood’s own lower level staffers repeatedly confirmed other providers ‘have the same services we have.’ And most laughable is their claim that ‘patient-friendly hours’ are what set Planned Parenthood apart from the other 800 Medicaid providers in the state.”
“But what’s not funny is that Planned Parenthood continues to concoct more propaganda as they work to deceive the public and try to sweep this exposé under the rug,” Rose added. “Women don’t need this abortion-centered giant for their healthcare but Planned Parenthood needs women and taxpayer dollars to continue lining their pockets. Join us in standing with Indiana to stay the course and prevent Planned Parenthood from bolstering their abortion business and radical ideology with Medicaid dollars.”
In an official press release, Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards claimed Indiana’s defunding of Planned Parenthood would “take away health care from thousands of women in Indiana.” Yet, last week, Live Action’s undercover investigators called 16 of the 28 Indiana Planned Parenthood centers posing as women on Medicaid concerned about where they could receive services if Planned Parenthood’s funding was not restored.
Planned Parenthood staffers at all 16 locations admitted that women on Medicaid could still have access to medical care after the defunding. Staffers suggested local health clinics or state-assigned primary care physicians for Medicaid patients.
One Planned Parenthood staffer in Michigan City is recorded saying, “Your primary care doctor should be able to do [a Well Woman exam,] I mean, that’s what they’re there for.”
“They have the same services we have,” a Merrillville Planned Parenthood staffer admits.
“Indiana has become Ground Zero in the national battle to de-fund Planned Parenthood, the biggest abortion business in America,” Live Action president Lila Rose said in a statement to LifeNews. “As more and more states, most recently Wisconsin and Texas, continue to defund the abortion giant of millions of dollars, Planned Parenthood wants us to believe they are the only game in town when it comes to providing care for Medicaid patients. In reality, their own staff admit that they aren’t the only option for women in need.”
“According to Planned Parenthood’s own statistics, their 28 clinics serve less than 1% of Indiana Medicaid patients, yet they do more than 50% of Indiana abortions,” notes Rose. There are over 800 other Medicaid providers available to these women in the counties with Planned Parenthood clinics alone.”
Indiana doctors agree that defunding Planned Parenthood in Indiana would have little to no effect on the care and services provided to Medicaid patients.
“If Planned Parenthood only sees 1% of Medicaid patients in the state, and that’s their statistic, it doesn’t seem like they are making a big imprint in the first place,” said Dr. Geoff Cly, at the Northeast Ob/GYN Women’s Health Group in Fort Wayne, IN. “I know in our group, we currently have capacity to see more patients and I’m sure many other groups could easily take care of the 1% that’s left if Planned Parenthood no longer took care of those patients.”
Knowing that planned Parenthood is not providing women on Medicaid with any medical services they can’t find anywhere else, Rose said it is wrong for President Barack Obama to come to Planned Parenthood’s aid by threatening to deny billions in low-income healthcare funds unless Indiana starts contracting with them.
“The Obama administration is holding patients’ health hostage in return for funding the largest abortion provider in the country,” asserted Lila Rose. “This abuse of power is a threat to every other state – that no matter the cost or consequences, this Administration will sacrifice healthcare for the needy to continue pouring tax dollars into Planned Parenthood.”
