Rep. Jason Chaffetz was in no mood Wednesday to be lectured by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer about Planned Parenthood. The Utah Republican, who lost both of his parents to cancer, didn’t take kindly to Blitzer’s defense of America’s largest abortion provider.
Chaffetz was questioning why taxpayers provide $528 million to Planned Parenthood in federal funding when Blitzer interrupted him.
“I just want to point out,” Blitzer said, “of that half a billion dollars, about 75 percent are Medicaid reimbursements for critically important things that Planned Parenthood does for especially poor women who have no alternatives.”
“Don’t tell me we don’t care about this,” Chaffetz shot back, invoking his parents and his personal support for cancer research.
Blitzer, by the way, incorrectly stated that poor women have no alternatives to Planned Parenthood. Alliance Defending Freedom and a coalition of partners have produced an interactive map with 13,540 health clinics where women can get care throughout the United States.
Chaffetz chaired a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing Tuesday that featured testimony from Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards.