A battle continues over whether Democratic Party resources and staff can be used to back candidates who oppose abortion.
But even a number of these self-described “pro-life” Democrats like Sen. Joe Donnelly of Indiana continue to support government funding of Planned Parenthood.
Indeed, questions have been raised about the definition of “pro-life” in the Democrat Party context.
For example, Paul Spencer, an Arkansas teacher, farmer and first-time political candidate who is running to represent his state’s Second Congressional District, described himself as “pro-life” in a recent Fox News interview. Yet, when pressed to explain his stance on Planned Parenthood, Spencer said he would likely not support legislation to defund the nation’s largest abortion provider.
“We see in instances, like Texas, where access to Planned Parenthood has been reduced, the abortion rate has gone up and maternal deaths have gone up,” Spencer argued. “My personal opinion on Planned Parenthood is that I would be hesitant about defunding it at this time until other social ‘safety-net’ programs are in place.”
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