Why Progressive Candidates Seek Endorsement from the Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota Action Fund
 

Planned Parenthood is a leading provider of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, and the nation’s largest provider of sex education. One in five women has relied on a Planned Parenthood health center for care in her lifetime. In Minnesota, Planned Parenthood sees nearly 68,000 patients every year and reaches 40,000 adults and teens with education programs. This is because every person has the right to expert reproductive health care and information.

Today, the Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota Action Fund (Action Fund) fights to protect that right.

When the Action Fund backs a candidate, voters – especially young women – know they can trust that candidate to protect and promote their health and rights.

 

Public Support in Minnesota:

• When it comes to funding for family planning services that Planned Parenthood provides, nearly 70 percent of Minnesotans believe that funding should either be increased (30%) or stay at current levels (39%).^[i]
  • More than two-in-three voters in the Twin Cities, suburbs, and rural areas favor either existing levels or increased funding for family planning and contraception.^[ii]
  • Ninety-four percent of DFL voters support an increase in funding, with more than 60% of Independents favoring increased or stable funding.^[iii]
  • Even 42% of Republicans support funding at higher (9%) or existing (33%) levels.^[iv]

• An April 2017 poll by Public Policy Polling found that in Minnesota’s 3^rd Congressional District, 60% of voters had a favorable opinion of Planned Parenthood and oppose “defunding” Planned Parenthood. Another 59% of voters said it would make them less likely to support Congressman Erik Paulsen if he voted to “defund” Planned Parenthood.
• Planned Parenthood has a regional base of 457,000 supporters and 88,000 people ready to act on our behalf. In 2017, we gained 25,000 new supporters and more than 200 volunteers.

 

Public Support Nationwide:

• Twenty separate nationwide polls since 2015, and an additional twelve polls in key states, show strong favorability for Planned Parenthood and strong opposition to efforts in Congress to block patients from accessing high-quality, lifesaving care at Planned Parenthood.

• An NBC-WSJ poll conducted during the 2016 presidential race showed that Planned Parenthood had a higher favorability rating than both political parties and all candidates running for president.

• An August 2015 Fox News poll found that voters agree that Planned Parenthood should continue to receive federal funding, even after the video attacks in 2015. In addition, the Fox News poll found that more voters than not view Planned Parenthood positively.

• A nationwide USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll in September 2015 found that two-thirds of Americans support funding for Planned Parenthood.

• In October 2015, the Rasmussen Report found that voter attitudes about Planned Parenthood had not changed after a smear campaign or attacks by extreme politicians in Congress — a majority of Americans still viewed Planned Parenthood favorably.

 

 

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^{[i] Anzalone Liszt Grove Research. (2016, March 14). Likely Minnesota Voters. http://www.algpolling.com}

^{[ii] Ibid.}

^{[iii] Ibid.}

^{[iv] Ibid.}