Libre's Rachel Campos-Duffy Pushes Debunked Arguments About Planned Parenthood

Libre's Campos-Duffy: “Crimes Have Been Committed By Planned Parenthood.” On the November 1 edition of CNN's CNN Newsroom with Fredericka Whitfeld, Libre's spokeswoman, Rachel Campos-Duffy, speculated that “crimes have been committed by Planned Parenthood,” using as evidence the series of broadly discredited and deceptively edited videos produced by the anti-abortion group, Center for Medical Progress (CMP). She also argued that President Obama would be to blame for a potential government shutdown over Republican attempts to defund Planned Parenthood (emphasis added):

FREDERICKA WHITFELD: Rachel, let me begin with you because you have the advantage of maybe getting inside the head of Speaker Ryan now. So he says, you know, you've got to be an effective opposition party. You've got to be clear on what you can and cannot achieve. So what do you decipher, what do you believe his plan is on what he can achieve that perhaps his predecessor could not

RACHEL CAMPOS-DUFFY: Well, I think there's two things. One I think he's right on. He wants to decentralize power at the Speaker's -- from the Speaker so, I think before everything, as he said, was very centrally controlled, he has a very conservative idea of decentralizing and giving more power to individual congressmen as well as committees to make the bills, to craft the bills, and to have a lot more say on legislation. The other thing, I think, that Speaker Ryan has already changed is the communication style. Part of why the public was so upset with Congress was not just that they didn't like the way the House was run but also they didn't understand what was going on. And I think you can see right now that Speaker Ryan is somebody who is a great communicator, has a very clear plan, and I think he's putting ideas out there and making sure that everyone's on board and has a say. That's very different. I think that change of communication style is going to make a big difference.

WHITFELD: So, Maria, do you buy that? Do you feel like he's a better communicator and that he was very clear on what he is laying out,especially in that interview with Dana Bash?

MARIA CARDONA: I actually don't think he was very clear at all. He didn't give her a yes-or-no answer on the very direct question that she asked him about, whether he would put in jeopardy shutting down the government in order to defund Planned Parenthood, which we know is what his very extremely conservative raucous caucus wants him to do. But, yes, I do think that he is a much better communicator. I think he is a policy wonk. But I also think he understands and frankly wants to get stuff done and he understands that part of what that means is not listening to his extreme right-wing caucus in terms of doing things that are not going to work for the American people. And Planned Parenthood is a great example of that. Planned Parenthood is an absolute loser for Republicans. It is a wildly unpopular idea --

CAMPOS-DUFFY: Wrong.

CARDONA: -- to defund an organization that gives millions of women health care and access to cancer screenings, sexually-transmitted disease screenings, birth control, wellness. And the American people understand that.

WHITFELD: And so, Rachel, what is it that you grimace about with that?

CAMPOS-DUFFY: Well, first of all, I mean, he was very clear when he said he doesn't -- even before these horrific videos that somehow Maria seems okay defending, you know, the sale of body parts --

CARDONA: You mean the edited videos that are not actually videos from Planned Parenthood?

CAMPOS-DUFFY: They are not edited and you can go online and see them.

CARDONA: Absolutely edited, Rachel.

WHITFELD: But the point that Speaker Ryan was making is that he didn't believe he would give them one red cent.

CAMPOS-DUFFY: Let me just make my point. My point is that the House Republicans, all of them, and Paul Ryan was very clear, even before these gruesome videos, he was against the taxpayer paying for other people's abortions. And we know those funds are fungible and this is a fiscal issue as well as a moral issue. So, no, he is not kowtowing to some fringe element. As he said, he's going to let the process out. There is a special committee to investigate the crimes that have been committed by Planned Parenthood --

WHITFELD: Okay, I don't think we're going to be able to resolve that right now. I think the issue was about, he was expressing his opinion about it not being deserving of any money, but he didn't believe that conservatives would vote to defund it entirely. So let's see how that plays out. Let's shift gears on that because we're not going to resolve this matter right now. Let's move on to the democratic presidential race if we could.

CAMPOS-DUFFY: But I want to challenge the premise of the question.

CARDONA: Go ahead.

CAMPOS-DUFFY: The premise of the question is whether Republicans want to want to defund the government over this. That is not the correct way to say it. They will send a budget. The budget will not include funding for Planned Parenthood, and it will be up to the president to decide whether he wants to -- whether he wants to take away -- to expire the budget based on funding for Planned Parenthood.

WHITFELD: Okay. Well that wasn't forecast in that Dana Bash interview. Let's see how it plays out.

CARDONA: Good luck with that, Rachel. [CNN, CNN Newsroom with Fredericka Whitfeld, 11/1/15]

CMP's Videos Have Been Widely Discredited And Proven To Contain Many Deceptive Edits

Various Media Outlets Have Found That The Videos Attacking Planned Parenthood Have Been Deceptively Edited. Since July 14, the anti-choice group CMP has released a series of videos accusing Planned Parenthood of illegally selling fetal tissue and altering abortion procedures to profit from sales of fetal tissue. Many media outlets and subject-matter experts have reported that the videos have been deceptively edited and that they show no illegal behavior by Planned Parenthood. [Media Matters, 8/31/15]

Investigations Have Found No Wrongdoing By Planned Parenthood

Growing List Of Planned Parenthood Investigations Have Cleared The Organization Of Any Wrongdoing. The deceptively-edited and secretly-recorded videos released by CMP have spurred at least 12 states to launch investigations into Planned Parenthood's operations, even though there are “only three states in which Planned Parenthood affiliate clinics can participate in fetal tissue donation programs,” according to Yahoo News. Six states -- Massachusetts, Indiana, South Dakota, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Missouri -- and the Department of Health and Human Services have all announced that they found no wrongdoing by Planned Parenthood or violations of federal fetal tissue laws. [Media Matters, 8/24/15]

No Federal Money Goes Towards Funding Abortions

FactCheck.org: Planned Parenthood Cannot Use Federal Funding To Provide Abortion Services. In 2011, FactCheck.org pointed out that “Planned Parenthood cannot use the money it receives from the federal government for abortions”:

Abortions represent 3 percent of total services provided by Planned Parenthood, and roughly 10 percent of its clients received an abortion. The group does receive federal funding, but the money cannot be used for abortions by law.

[...]

Planned Parenthood's 2008-2009 annual report states that it received $363.2 million in “Government Grants and Contracts.” (See page 29.) That's about one-third of its total revenues for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009.

However, not all of that money is from the federal government. Planned Parenthood's government funding comes from two sources: the Title X Family Planning Program and Medicaid. About $70 million is Title X funding, Planned Parenthood spokesman Tait Sye told us. The rest -- about $293 million -- is Medicaid funding, which includes both federal and state money.

But Planned Parenthood cannot use the money it receives from the federal government for abortions anyway. According to the Department of Health and Human Service's website, “by law, Title X funds may not be used in programs where abortion is a method of family planning.” Medicaid funding is restricted by the Hyde Amendment to only abortion cases involving rape, incest or endangerment to the life of the mother. [FactCheck.org, 4/18/11]

Vox: “Government Requires That No Federal Dollars Go Toward The Termination Of Pregnancies.” A July 22 Vox article explained how Planned Parenthood uses its funding and noted that “Title X funds are never available to be used for abortions, even in states where the [state] Medicaid program covers the procedure”:

Planned Parenthood uses federal funds to cover reproductive health services -- but not abortions

[...]

Thirty-two states and the District of Columbia have Medicaid programs that will pay for abortions, although those health plans are barred from using federal dollars -- and have to use the state's share of funding to pay for the procedure.

Title X often covers the same type of services as Medicaid, except for women who are not on the public program. One important difference: Title X funds are never available to be used for abortions, even in states where the Medicaid program covers the procedure.

Federal law expressly prohibits the use of Title X funds to pay for abortions -- while abortion providers like Planned Parenthood can qualify for grants, the government requires that no federal dollars go toward the termination of pregnancies. [Vox, 7/22/15]

Federal Funding Of Planned Parenthood Is Not “Fungible”

Slate: Money Is Not Fungible “When It Comes To Planned Parenthood.” In a September 11 article, Slate's Amanda Marcotte pointed out that the argument that “money is fungible,” which “implies that while Planned Parenthood is supposed to be getting money for contraception, it's actually going to subsidize abortion,” is simply not true. According to Marcotte (emphasis added):

The problem is that it doesn't work that way. To understand why, it's useful to take a look at how Planned Parenthood operates and where its money comes from.

The most important thing to remember is that Planned Parenthood clinics operate like any other medical clinic. A patient comes in, gets some services, and is billed according to what services she got. Some patients are eligible for federal money to offset the costs of some services.

[...]

Title X funding is a little trickier, because it is given as grants and not reimbursements, but works in roughly the same way. If a patient falls within the Title X income parameters, the clinic is able to pay for part of that bill with Title X funding. In this way, low-income patients can get, for instance, a pack of birth control pills that would normally cost $50 for $10. They can't obtain abortions in the same way, as Title X funding cannot go to abortion.

Republicans who tout the “money is fungible” line want you to imagine that Planned Parenthood draws on one big pot of government money for all its services. But since medical services are billed and funded individually, that's not actually how this works. For instance, if subsidies that discount contraception disappear, the price of contraception goes up, but the price of abortion will stay the same. [Slate, 9/11/15]

Defunding Planned Parenthood Would Affect Latinas

National Latina Institute For Reproductive Health: Leading Advocacy Organizations Ask That Congress Doesn't Defund Planned Parenthood. In August 3 press release, the Latina Institute for Reproductive Health reported that 12 national Latino organizations asked Congress to not defund Planned Parenthood, citing concerns that it would “block access to crucial health services for Latinas”:

The Latino organizations also emphasized the important role Planned Parenthood plays in providing basic health services like contraception, cancer screenings, and preventive care to low-income communities, women of color, and young people. Latinos already face disproportionately high rates of reproductive cancers, unintended pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections, making access to reproductive health services even more crucial. [The National Latina Institute For Reproductive Health, 8/3/15]

Latina: Threat To Defund Planned Parenthood Is “An Issue For The Poor, Disenfranchised Communities Of Color, Too.” In an October 2 piece, Latina's Cindy Casares called attention to the fact that Planned Parenthood “provides an affordable source of high-quality, preventative reproductive care” for at least 550,000 Latinas and Latinos. According to Casares, “poor, disenfranchised communities of color” would be negatively impacted if efforts to defund the organization succeed:

If you want a picture of what it will be like for Latinas in this country if Republicans succeed in defunding Planned Parenthood, you need only look to Texas and the area of the country where I come from, the Rio Grande Valley.

In 2011, a strict anti-abortion legislation, a family planning funding cut of two-thirds and a ban on state funding for Planned Parenthood helped the Republican-controlled Texas legislature to close down a quarter of reproductive health clinics in the Valley, a geographic area in the southernmost part of the state with a population of 1.2 million people, 93 percent of which is Latino.

In the region, people are three times as likely to be uninsured as the rest of Texas. For many in the Valley, their only access to cancer screenings and family planning is through Planned Parenthood. In 2013, the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health and the Center for Reproductive Rights issued a report on the effects of the defunding. What it revealed was a disparity in access to healthcare for Latinas - especially Spanish-speakers and immigrants - that has gone from bad to a human rights violation.

[...]

In the 2012 study of 188 Valley women, researchers found that the closure of nine of the 32 reproductive clinics in the region caused the cost of one month's supply of contraception, as well as the fee for an annual exam, to increase by three to four times since 2010. In addition, clinics now refer women to private doctors for special tests such as ultrasounds and mammograms that they previously provided at subsidized rates. Private doctors charge rates far beyond what the women interviewed can afford, and the referrals expire long before the women can save enough to use them, the report says.

[...]

The current movement to defund Planned Parenthood by a Republican-led Congressional committee is the latest example of those violations on our human rights, and Latinas should be at the forefront of the movement to stop them because our very lives depend on it.

This is not just a white feminist issue. This is an issue for the poor, disenfranchised communities of color, too. [Latina.com, 10/2/15]

Campos-Duffy's Husband, Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI), Is On Panel Investigating Planned Parenthood

Rep. Duffy Is On The Congressional Panel Investigating Planned Parenthood. According to the Huffington Post, Rep. Duffy is one of the Republicans who will be on the Select Investigative Panel to “probe the practices” of abortion providers like Planned Parenthood. The Huffington Post reported Duffy's comment that "'health care doesn't mean Planned Parenthood, and Planned Parenthood doesn't mean women's healthcare'":

Rep. Sean Duffy (Wis.)

Duffy has said that “health care doesn't mean Planned Parenthood, and Planned Parenthood doesn't mean women's health care.” He introduced a bill that would allow states to exclude Planned Parenthood from their Medicaid programs because it offers abortion, provoking a veto threat from the White House. A number of states are currently defending the terminations of their Medicaid contracts with Planned Parenthood, based on the sting videos, in court. [Huffington Post, 10/23/15]

Campos-Duffy's Organization Has Received Over $10 Million From The Koch Brothers

Libre Has Received Over $10 Million In Koch Money. In September 2011, Libre executive director Daniel Garza told the Center for Public Integrity that he approached “representatives of the Koch family” for funding but declined to say whether they committed any funds. However, CPI reported that "[t]wo GOP operatives familiar with the initiative say Garza told them he has already secured commitments for about $1 million -- including funds from Koch family interests":

Libre has received over $10 million in Koch funding through Freedom Partners and TC4 Trust, according to a Media Matters search of public IRS documents:

• Freedom Partners gave Libre $9,312,000 between 2011 and 2013, according to the group's IRS 990 forms.

• TC4 Trust gave Libre $693,000 from 2011-2012, according to the group's 990 form.

Politico has called Freedom Partners the “Koch brothers' secret bank” which serves “as an outlet for the ideas and funds of the mysterious Koch brothers.” The group's board includes several senior members of Koch Industries, Inc.

TC4 Trust, which is now defunct, served as a conduit for Koch money. ProPublica reported that TC4, along with Freedom Partners, were "[a]t the top of the network" of the Koch's complex web of non-profit distribution. [Media Matters, 3/2/15]