Rand Paul: Planned Parenthood Really a ‘Front’ for Abortions

TAPPER: “Joining me now from Davenport, Iowa, where he is practicing with the single-A baseball team, the Bandits, in the land of ‘Field of Dreams,’ Iowa, Republican presidential candidate and aspiring center fielder, Senator Rand Paul. Senator Paul, thanks for squeezing us in between innings. We appreciate it.”

PAUL: “Thanks, Jake. Thanks for having me.”

TAPPER: “So you've got a new ad, TV ad, about Planned Parenthood airing in some - airing in some of these early primary and caucus states. Let's show a quick clip of that.”

[clip starts]

UNKNOWN FEMALE: “Planned Parenthood takes over a half a million tax dollars every year. They perform abortions and sell baby body parts. As a conservative leader, Rand is forcing a vote this week to end taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood.”

[clip ends]

TAPPER: “And, obviously, Planned Parenthood disputes much of the content of that ad. But so, let's talk about the substance of it. In your drive to defund Planned Parenthood, you've said that the reason that this nation can afford to do away with federal funding for Planned Parenthood, which - which the federal funding supposedly does not fund any of the abortions. But the reason you've said you -- it can be done is because, ‘We have doubled and tripled the funding for community health centers.’ Now, it should be pointed out that the big increase in funding for community health centers comes from ObamaCare, which you obviously voted against and you vowed to repeal. Does this mean that you are committed at least to the money for the community health centers?”

PAUL: “Well, I think we can have disputes, you know, over abortion. Our country is divided. Some people are pro-choice. Some are pro-life. But I think a lot of people, even a lot of pro-choice people, are upset by these videos. They, you know, manipulating the baby, turning the baby around to get the body parts and then selling the liver and the doctors cavalierly saying oh, well, yes, liver is popular right now for sale. I think most Americans don't want their tax dollars going to this. So I think when something is so morally repugnant to so many people, why should tax dollars go to this? And so I think most people do want to defend this - defund this. And I think what you would find is, if you look at this, we have 9,000 community health centers that do everything that Planned Parenthood does, but they don't get into abortions. So it would be much less emotional for everyone if we just funded community health centers and didn't fund Planned Parenthood.”

TAPPER: “So you support continued funding for the community health centers even though it would double to triple from ObamaCare?”

PAUL: “I do support a role for government in community health centers. The specific bill, including it in ObamaCare obviously would make it such that I can't support that particular bill. But supporting some funding for community health centers, I think, is reasonable. And there are people who do need help. But, really, Planned Parenthood is sort of a front for doing abortion. They say they don't use federal money, but how can you take money for the group and say none of it is somewhere benefitting the production and the - the execution of - of abortion? So, really, I think that if you look honestly and objectively, we have government funds going to -- a lot of government funds, $5 billion going to community health centers, I think if you look at it objectively, people would say, why do we have to get involved with a group that's, you know, selling baby organs, you know? So I think people -- even pro-choice people are upset by these videos. So I mean I think the country ought to wake up and we ought to get rid of this funding.”