Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg Donates $1 Million to Planned Parenthood to Fight ‘Draconian’ Abortion Laws

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg says she is donating $1 million to Planned Parenthood’s political advocacy arm to help fight “draconian” abortion restrictions passed in some states.

“I think this is a very urgent moment where the rights and the choices and the basic health of the most vulnerable women — the women who have been marginalized, often women of color — are at stake,” Sandberg told HuffPost in an interview. “And so all of us have to do our part to fight these draconian laws.”

Sandberg said she is trying to “protect women.”

“Planned Parenthood is going to fight back in the courts, in Congress, in the state houses, in the streets, for women’s health and rights,” she said. “We all have to do everything we can to protect women.”

I'm so grateful to @sherylsandberg for her longstanding commitment to Planned Parenthood & her leadership as a role model for women & girls! Now, more than ever, her generous support is necessary to help @PPact fight back against unprecedented attacks on our health & rights. https://t.co/c6k6lhrH2i

— Leana Wen, M.D. (@DrLeanaWen) June 28, 2019

Sandberg previously donated $1 million to Planned Parenthood in 2017 after President Donald Trump was inaugurated. She has been an outspoken critic of Trump’s reinstatement of the Mexico City Policy, which bans U.S. taxpayer dollars from supporting organizations that perform or promote abortions abroad.

However, a recent Marist poll found 75 percent of Americans oppose taxpayer funding of abortion abroad, through non-governmental organizations such as International Planned Parenthood, with only 19 percent in favor of such funding. When political affiliation is a factor, 94 percent of Republicans, 80 percent of independents, and 56 percent of Democrats oppose taxpayer funding of abortion overseas.

HuffPost reports:

As the second-most powerful person at the social media giant, Sandberg has received criticism for not providing adequate responses to a string of recent company controversies, such as Facebook’s role in Russia’s election interference, user data breaches, the company’s slow process in cracking down on right-wing extremism on the platform, and for ordering opposition researchon Facebook competitors and critics, including prominent Democratic donor George Soros.

Planned Parenthood president Dr. Leana Wen tweeted her thanks to Sandberg, “for her longstanding commitment to Planned Parenthood & her leadership as a role model for women & girls!”