Mammogram Scam? Planned Parenthood Caught on Tape Again

03-30-2011

Planned Parenthood’s President Cecile Richards went on national TV the other day claiming that if her organization is defunded by members of Congress, “millions of women in this country are gonna lose their healthcare access–not to abortion services–to basic family planning, you know, mammograms.

They've been putting out that line for years. But just released undercover recorded phone calls show that dozens of Planned Parenthood clinics say they don’t even offer mammogram services.

The video below is pretty compelling. Have a look.

The group behind this is “Live Action." They describe themselves as a “youth-led pro-life group.”

They were the ones that also showed videos of Planned Parenthood staff in what they describe as employees “willing to aid and abet the sex trafficking of young girls at seven clinics in four different states.”

Here’s part of their release below:

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.”

UPDATE:

Planned Parenthood has sent Brody File a statement:

See below:

Statement by Stuart Schear, Vice President for Communications, Planned Parenthood Federation of America:

“Live Action has a documented history of twisting facts to suit its extreme political agenda, and this video is just the latest example of a false charge.

“Planned Parenthood provides a wide range of preventive health care services to millions of women through its 800 health centers including contraception, Pap tests,  annual exams, HIV and other STI tests, and lifesaving breast exams.

“Planned Parenthood doctors and nurses provide more than 800,000 breast cancer screenings annually. We offer breast exams at every one of our family planning health centers. Like the vast majority of primary care physicians and ob-gyns, we refer our patients to other facilities for mammograms when indicated based on a breast exam, age or family history.”

So instead of saying Richards mispoke, they are basically saying her quote is being taking out of context and that she is really referring to the entire HR1 bill (that includes defunding other programs that provide women's services) not specifically the defunding of Planned Parenthood part. For context, here is the full clip from Behar's show. You decide.

On Planned Parenthood’s website they pose the following question:

Where Can I Get a Mammogram?

The answer: “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. (Notice it doesn’t say you can get the mammogram at a Planned Parenthood clinic)

There is a link on their website about offering a free mammography clinic but the money comes from a private grant.

This Planned Parenthood funding issue has the potential of single-handedly shutting the government down. That’s because liberal Democrats in the Senate say the defunding resolution must be stripped from any future budget continuing resolution. They won’t agree to any final budget with that language in there.

It’s going to leave Speaker Boehner and the Republican leadership with a tough choice. Fight for the defunding of Planned Parenthood and risk a government shutdown or suffer the wrath of pro-life groups and congressmen and risk serious political trouble.

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