Donald Trump’s View of Planned Parenthood ‘Less Hostile’ than GOP Rivals

Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards said in an interview with MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell that she appreciated Donald Trump’s statement that her organization does “some very good work,” though not regarding abortions.

Richards said:

Well, this is one thing I agree with Donald Trump on is that Planned Parenthood does amazing work every single year. I think the disturbing thing is that Donald Trump – as well as Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio – have said if they were president they would end women’s access to family planning, to cancer screenings, to basic affordable healthcare, as well as overturning the Affordable Care Act – which is now covering family planning and other preventative care for 55 million women. That’s what’s really at stake here, so I appreciate his kind words. We’re very proud of our work. But I think women in this country, families and men, are going to be very concerned about a president who wants to roll back access to affordable healthcare in America.

Trump has repeatedly said he would defund Planned Parenthood as long as it continues to perform abortions, but that the organization does “some very good work” performing other services which he says women know more about than himself.

MSNBC commentator Steve Kornacki said Trump’s comments on Planned Parenthood make him “more moderate, maybe more electable, than any Republican I’ve seen.”

Chris Jansing responded to Kornacki, “I talked to his son Eric, and he was saying, look at the broad appeal that this is going to have.”

Meanwhile, at the Boston Globe, columnist Joan Vennochi said Trump’s view about Planned Parenthood was “slightly less hostile” than his GOP rivals.

While Richards sees all Republicans as “extremists” when it comes to her abortion business, Vennochi observes:

But any extreme opens a middle. Leave it to the former abortion-rights advocate Trump to try to find it, while Kasich does his thing to stop Planned Parenthood in Ohio and Marco Rubio suggests Clinton supports abortion up until a woman’s due date.

During an interview after a Clinton rally, Vennochi notes, Richards admitted there may be some “daylight” between Trump and his rivals, though perhaps not enough to make a difference. “The abortion part of Planned Parenthood is an important part of what we do,” Richards said.