The majority of Americans, including Republicans, still favor providing federal funding to Planned Parenthood, according to a Reuters poll released Wednesday.
Fifty-four percent of respondents told pollsters they believe the government should continue to provide Planned Parenthood with federal funding for free women's health exams, screenings and contraceptive services, while 26 percent opposed it.
Planned Parenthood receives about $500 million per year in federal funding for women's health-related services.
The poll was released on the same day as a seventh undercover video showing Planned Parenthood officials discussing the harvesting and sale of aborted baby body parts for medical research, as previously reported by HNGN.
When Reuters asked respondents whether they supported federal funding for an unnamed group to provide women's health exams, an even larger majority, 73 percent, said they do. Sixty-nine percent backed providing federal money for prenatal services, and 59 percent supported funding for contraception.
Still, Planned Parenthood's image has undoubtedly suffered due to the videos, secretly recorded and released by the anti-abortion group the Center for Medical Progress over the past few weeks. Forty-four percent of respondents who watched the videos said they now view the organization more negatively, compared to the 34 percent who said their views did not change.
After pollsters described the videos to respondents, 39 percent said Planned Parenthood should not receive federal funding and 34 percent said the organization should continue being funded.
"I just don't think they ought to receive my money that I pay in taxes," 66-year-old Kathy Scholl, a Republican from Iowa Park, Texas, told Reuters.
After the release of the videos, Republican lawmakers began an all-out blitz to defund Planned Parenthood. Legislation was introduced in Congress to cut the more than $500 million in federal funds that goes to Planned Parenthood each year, but Democrats managed to muster up enough support to defeat the measure for now, though Republicans are likely to bring it back once they return from break in September.
Republican governors in Louisiana and Alabama have already terminated their Medicaid contracts with Planned Parenthood, and lawmakers in New Hampshire passed similar measures. The Obama administration warned the states last week that cutting funding could be in violation of federal law.
A few Republicans, including presidential contender and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, have suggested they would shut the government down to ensure the organization is defunded. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, also a presidential hopeful, went as far as to suggest he could deploy the National Guard to forcefully stop abortions.
But the new poll suggests that taking such a hard-line stance against Planned Parenthood could end up hurting presidential candidates, Reuters said. "The strong support for federal funds to help Planned Parenthood provide screenings, pregnancy tests and prenatal services indicates Republican presidential candidates should tread carefully addressing the issue on the campaign trail."
