Andy Richter says he was “eternally grateful” to Planned Parenthood when he and his girlfriend decided to have their baby aborted in 1992.
Comedian Andy Richter made the comment while hosting the Los Angeles Planned Parenthood’s fundraiser known as “Sexy Beast” on September 10. The longtime sidekick to late-night host Conan O’Brien said he and his girlfriend — now his wife — Sarah Thyre had finished work as stars of a stage production of The Brady Bunch when they found their relationship stressed due to the fact they were living apart and having to work several jobs to make a living.
According to Hollywood Reporter, Richter said, when Thyre discovered she was pregnant, “It was not exactly happy news.”
“Luckily for us Planned Parenthood existed,” Richter continued, adding:
My girlfriend knew that she was not ready for motherhood, and I knew that I was in no way prepared to be a father. I drove from Chicago in my battered old Toyota pick-up to be with her when she went to Planned Parenthood to terminate her pregnancy. Her choice to get an abortion was a choice that she made with assuredness. She knew that she was doing the right thing for everyone involved. But I can’t say it was easy. She was sad, and I was sad, and it was sad. But to this day, I know that she will tell you that she made the right decision.
Richter said he and Thyre subsequently broke up, but then got back together, married, and had two children. He said they have now been married for 22 years.
“Planned Parenthood gave two young struggling people the ability to do the thing that is in their name: We got to plan parenthood,” he said. “When we could barely care for ourselves, much less a newborn, we were able to choose the time when we brought a child into our lives.”
“Planned Parenthood allowed my wife to make the decisions she needed to make in order to control her body and her health, and maintain her life and her future,” Richter added. “And for that, I will be eternally grateful.”
Richter was a vocal critic of the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) after the release of its undercover video series exposing Planned Parenthood’s alleged illegal sale of the body parts of aborted babies to fetal tissue procurement companies. The abortion business has been under investigation by Congress for the past year as a result.
Planned Parenthood has denied any wrongdoing in the alleged sale of fetal body parts, and the organization and its supporters claim the videos produced by CMP were “deceptively edited.” However, Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards also released a statement in October of 2015 announcing the group would no longer accept payments for aborted fetal tissue.
Additionally, a Democratic opposition research firm named Fusion — hired by Planned Parenthood itself to review the videos — said, while their analysts observed the videos had been edited, as all videos are, “the analysis did not reveal widespread evidence of substantive video manipulation.” Fusion also noted, “[A]nalysts found no evidence that CMP inserted dialogue not spoken by Planned Parenthood staff.”
An analysis by Coalfire, a third-party forensics company hired by Alliance Defending Freedom, found that the videos were “not manipulated” and that they are “authentic.”
After the fundraiser, Hollywood Reporter asked Richter if it was “tricky” supporting Planned Parenthood these days.
“I don’t think it’s tricky,” he said. “It’s easy. Planned Parenthood helps a ton of people, and if they don’t agree with that, f— ’em. You can quote me on that. Tell them I said, ‘F— ’em.’ “
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