Why so much aid to Planned Parenthood?

Connie Schultz's column in Daily Herald on March 3 tries to whip up support for the beleaguered Planned Parenthood, which has been under investigation for the last 18 months by the U.S. Congress.

Let's look at some facts: Planned Parenthood is the nation's leading abortion provider with latest available statistics showing they perform over 300,000 abortions per year.

What is PP really about? They have claimed to do breast cancer screenings but their President Cecile Richards, who has presided over 7 million abortions, says "we do not have mammograms at our health care centers." A recent undercover investigation team called 97 PP clinics in the U.S. and only five said they do prenatal care, in fact, one PP Clinic volunteered "we do not do prenatal services, call PP, it's kind of deceiving." All 97 phone conversations are now available on the internet for more detail.

Planned Parenthood receives over $500 million dollars in federal aid from taxpayers yearly. They are a gigantic billion-dollar, highly rofitable, moneymaking machine that recently bragged that they have received $200 million in donations worldwide since the new administration has come into Washington.

Question: Why are taxpayers paying out over $500 million to PP yearly to do abortions when there are over 9,000 government-approved local health-based community centers all over the United States that will give in almost all cases better care, including mammograms and prenatal care, and they don't do abortions.

Many congressmen and U.S. senators right here in Illinois may be taking money from Planned Parenthood. A great question to ask your local congressman or U.S. senator is why does Planned Parenthood need a half-billion dollars in taxpayer money to do abortions when they are already a very profitable company?

Larry O'Neill

Palatine