Lila Rose Hoax: Video Proves Planned Parenthood Lied About Providing Mammograms

Live Action: Planned Parenthood “Exposed” Lying About Mammograms. A press release accompanying Live Action's latest video purports to expose Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards as lying. From the release:

Planned Parenthood CEO's False Mammogram Claim Exposed

[...]

A series of new undercover phone calls reveals that contrary to the claims of Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards and other supporters of the nation's largest abortion chain, the organization does not provide mammograms for women.

In the tapes, a Live Action actor calls 30 Planned Parenthood clinics in 27 different states, inquiring about mammograms at Planned Parenthood. Every Planned Parenthood, without exception, tells her she will have to go elsewhere for a mammogram, and many clinics admit that no Planned Parenthood clinics provide this breast cancer screening procedure. “We don't provide those services whatsoever,” admits a staffer at Planned Parenthood of Arizona. Planned Parenthood's Comprehensive Health Center clinic in Overland Park, KS explains to the caller, “We actually don't have a, um, mammogram machine, at our clinics.”

Opponents of defunding Planned Parenthood have argued in Congress and elsewhere that the organization provides many vital health care services other than abortion, such as mammograms. Most prominently, Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards recently appeared on The Joy Behar Show to oppose the Pence Amendment to end Planned Parenthood's taxpayer subsidies, claiming, “If this bill ever becomes law, millions of women in this country are gonna lose their healthcare access-not to abortion services-to basic family planning, you know, mammograms.” [Live Action, 3/30/11]

Rose: “Planned Parenthood CEO's Mammogram Claims Are False.” In a post on Andrew Breitbart's Big Government, Rose wrote:

Planned Parenthood CEO's Mammogram Claims Are False

In the wake of undercover evidence revealing Planned Parenthood's abusive and illegal activity, the America's [sic] biggest abortion business unrolled a massive PR campaign to defend its $363-million-a-year taxpayer subsidies. The campaign included TV, print, radio and online ad buys, a big pink bus rolling
across the country, and numerous appearances and opinion pieces by Planned Parenthood spokespersons and supporters (including this gem by PP vice-president of communications Stuart Schear.

Planned Parenthood has been insisting that they provide invaluable health services to “millions” of America women [sic].

Just a few weeks ago, on national television, Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards said this about Rep. Mike Pence's amendment to defund Planned Parenthood:

“If this bill ever becomes law, millions of women in this country are gonna lose their health care access-not to abortion services-to basic family planning, you
know, mammograms.”

Yet this is blatantly false. [Big Government, 3/30/11]

HOAX EXPOSED: Rose's Video Does Not Establish That Planned Parenthood Ever Discussed Mammograms Provided By The Organization

Richards Discussed “Access” To Mammograms Through Planned Parenthood - Not Mammograms Actually Provided By The Organization. In the video at the center of Rose's hoax, Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards discusses access to health care - including mammograms - not actual health care services provided by Planned Parenthood. Discussing GOP efforts to defund Planned Parenthood during an appearance on The Joy Behar Show, Richards said:

If this bill ever becomes law, millions of women in this country are going to lose their health care access, not to abortion services, to basic family planning. You know, mammograms, cancer screenings, cervical cancer. [CNN, The Joy Behar Show, 2/21/11, via Nexis]

Pro-Life Activist Jill Stanek: Richards Was “Correct.” From Stanek's blog:

Richards said:

If this bill ever becomes law, millions of women in this country are going to lose their health care access, not to abortion services, to basic family planning -- you know, mammograms, cancer screenings, cervical cancer.

The fact is not one Planned Parenthood in America performs mammograms. All PPs do are refer for mammograms.

So while Richards was technically correct to add the word “access” before citing mammograms as a service PP provides, I guarantee no one understood her to say anything other than PP performs mammograms, when actually all PP does is merely write down the name of a place to go for mammograms. [JillStanek.com, 2/24/11]

FACT: Planned Parenthood Provides Access To Mammograms By Referring Patients To Locations That Perform The Service

Planned Parenthood Website: “A Staff Member At Your Local Planned Parenthood Health Center Can Discuss Breast Cancer, Breast Exams, And Breast Health With You And Help You Find The Services You Need.” From PlannedParenthood.org's page on breast cancer screenings:

Breast cancer is a serious health concern. After skin cancer, it is the most common type of cancer in American women. It is a leading cause of death from cancer, too. About 200,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year in the U.S. and 40,000 women will die from it.

[...]

If you have questions or concerns about breast cancer, we are here to help. A staff member at your local Planned Parenthood health center can discuss breast cancer, breast exams, and breast health with you and help you find the services you need. [PlannedParenthood.org, accessed 3/30/11]

Planned Parenthood Website: “Ask ... Staff At Your Local Planned Parenthood Health Center About Where You Can Get A Mammogram In Your Area.” From PlannedParenthood.org's page of frequently asked questions about mammograms:

Where Can I Get a Mammogram?

Ask your health care provider, health department, or staff at your local Planned Parenthood health center about where you can get a mammogram in your area. [PlannedParenthood.org, accessed 3/30/11]

FACT: Richards Was Correct: Planned Parenthood Does Provide Cancer Screenings

In Addition To Giving Patients Mammogram Referrals, Planned Parenthood Provides Other Cancer Screenings In Its Clinics. According to a Planned Parenthood fact sheet, cancer screening and prevention made up 17% of the services performed by Planned Parenthood in 2008:

Cancer Screening and Prevention -- 17 percent of services in 2008

Pap Tests 915,716

HPV Vaccinations 60,064

Breast Exams/ Breast Care 826,197

Colposcopy Procedures*** 43,285

LOOP/LEEP Procedures*** 2,613

Cryotherapy Procedures*** 1,816

1,849,691

[PlannedParenthood.org, September 2010]

FACT: Some Planned Parenthood Clinics DO Provide Mammogram Screenings

Waco, TX Planned Parenthood “Provides Life-Saving Mammogram Screening And ... Diagnostic Testing.” From Planned Parenthood's Website:

Through a grant from the local Central Texas Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Planned Parenthood in Waco provides life-saving mammogram screening and abnormal mammogram follow-up diagnostic testing for low-income women.

You may qualify for a free mammogram if you are:

• age 40 or over and never had a baseline mammogram
• uninsured, low-income
• have had a recent gynecological exam

If you are under 40 and have a breast problem with a history of breast cancer in your immediate family, you may also be eligible to participate in the program.

If an abnormal mammogram is detected, funding for further diagnostic testing is available. [PlannedParenthood.org, accessed 3/30/11]

Tucson, AZ Planned Parenthood Hosted “Free Mobile Mammography Clinic.” From Planned Parenthood's Website:

Planned Parenthood Arizona will host a free mobile mammography clinic, supported by Pink365. Mammography has proven to be the single most beneficial tool in detecting early and treatable cancer. The goal of screening exams, such as mammograms, is to find cancers early before it has a chance to grow and treatment works best. [PlannedParenthood.org, 8/07/09]

Nevertheless, Right-Wing Media Amplify Rose's Video Hoax

Red State Accuses Planned Parenthood Of “Not Only A Lie, But A Damn Lie.” From a post by Erick Erickson on his blog Red State:

We've heard all the stories before. Planned Parenthood provides breast cancer screening services for poor women. By cutting off funds for Planned Parenthood, we increase the chance poor women will get breast cancer.

New undercover work shows that this is not only a lie, but a damn lie.

[...]

Live Action called around to Planned Parenthood offices all across the country asking if women could come in to get mammograms. All of the clinics they called, every single one, said they do not do mammograms. Not only that, they also didn't offer to cover the cost of the mammograms. In fact, as you can see on the video, Planned Parenthood would frequently offer to refer the caller to a different entity altogether that may or may not provide mammograms.

This was a widespread occurrence across the country.

In other words, Congress is funding Planned Parenthood purportedly to provide mammograms and Planned Parenthood isn't even doing that? [RedState.com, 3/30/11]

The Blaze: “Pro-Life Group Exposes Planned Parenthood Mammogram 'Corruption.'” From Glenn Beck's The Blaze:

Pro-Life Group Exposes Planned Parenthood Mammogram 'Corruption'

It's become part of Planned Parenthood's mantra as conservatives fight to take away the organization's federal funding: doing so would strip women of vital health services like breast exams and mammograms. But what if it wouldn't? What if breast exams and mammograms aren't as widespread as Planned Parenthood would lead us to believe? According to a new video from the pro-life group Live Action, that may well be the case.

In a new set of recordings posted on YouTube, Live Action -- which busted Planned Parenthood for supporting child sex trafficking last month -- reportedly called 30 Planned Parenthood clinics in 27 cities to see if they offer mammograms. None -- not one -- did. [The Blaze, 3/30/11]

Breitbart.tv: Mammosham: Planned Parenthood CEO's False Mammogram Claim Exposed. Andrew Breitbart's website Breitbart.tv featured the Live Action video under the headline “Mammosham: Planned Parenthood CEO's False Mammogram Claim Exposed” and included the following description:

A Live Action actor calls 30 Planned Parenthood clinics in 27 different states, inquiring about mammograms at Planned Parenthood. Every Planned Parenthood, without exception, tells her she will have to go elsewhere for a mammogram, and many clinics admit that no Planned Parenthood clinics provide this breast cancer screening procedure. “We don't provide those services whatsoever,” admits a staffer at Planned Parenthood of Arizona. Planned Parenthood's Comprehensive Health Center clinic in Overland Park, KS explains to the caller, “We actually don't have a, um, mammogram machine, at our clinics.” [Breitbart.tv, 3/30/11]

Weekly Standard: “Planned Parenthood President Falsely Claimed Their Clinics Provide Mammograms.” From a post on The Weekly Standard's blog:

Planned Parenthood President Falsely Claimed Their Clinics Provide Mammograms

Planned Parenthood president Cecille Richards recently said on CNN that if federal funding is cut off to her organization “millions of women are going to lose access, not to abortion services, to basic family planning, you know, mammograms....”

As Lila Rose's Live Action shows in this video, Planned Parenthood actually doesn't provide mammograms[.] [The Weekly Standard, 3/30/11]