>>> THIS BILL JUST CUTS FEDERAL FUNDING FOR PLANNED PARENTHOOD
FOR ONE YEAR. WHAT DOES THAT DO FOR YOU?
>> CONCERNS ME. >> Reporter: WILL YOU VOTE FOR
SOMETHING THAT CUTS IT AT ALL? >> WHAT I HAVE SAID VERY CLEARLY
IS THAT I DON'T THINK THAT THE ISSUE OF MEDICAID REIMBURSEMENT
FOR PLANNED PARENTHOOD SHOULD BE AN ISSUE IN THIS BILL.
IF WE HAVE TO GET TO A POINT TO OFFER AMENDMENTS I WOULD MOVE TO
STRIKE THAT. >> JOINING US ON SET THE
PRESIDENT OF PLANNED PARENTHOOD, CECILE RICHARDS.
IS HE VEAL, MIKE PENCE WE PLAYED A SOUND BITE FROM HIM LAST WEEK
THEY STILL HAVE PLANNED PARENTHOOD DEFINITELY GOING TO
TRY TO TAKE IT AWAY, THE FUNDING.
>> RIGHT. >> TELL US WHAT YOUR BIGGEST
CONCERNS ARE MOVING FORWARD, ESPECIALLY NOW THE BILL IS ON
HOLD OR A FAILURE FOR NOW? >> IT WAS GREAT TO SEE SENATORS
MURKOWSKI AND COLLINS THEY WERE CLEAR ENDING ACCESS TO PLANNED
PARENTHOOD IS SORT OF A DEAL BREAKER AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO
UNDERSTAND AS SENATOR MURKOWSKI SAYS WE'RE NOT IN THE FEDERAL
BUDGET. THAT'S A MISNOMER.
THERE'S NO DEFUNDING. WE GET REIMBURSED JUST LIKE
HOSPITALS AND OTHER HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS FOR PROVIDING
PREVENTATIVE HEALTH SERVICES, AND IN A STATE LIKE ALASKA OR
MAINE, FRANKLY ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, WOMEN NEED ACCESS TO
AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE AND THAT'S WHAT PLANNED PARENTHOOD
REPRESENTS. >> KASIE HUNT IN WASHINGTON HAS
A QUESTION FOR YOU. >> I WANT TO DIG INTO THIS A
LITTLE BIT BECAUSE I THINK YOU HIT ON SOMETHING WHICH IS
VIEWERS AND PEOPLE SOMETIMES ASK ME THE QUESTION, WHAT IS
DEFUNDING PLANNED PARENTHOOD MEAN IN A DAY-TO-DAY?
IF YOU HAVE A CLINIC IN A RURAL PLACE, AND THIS BILL WERE TO GO
THROUGH AS IT'S WRITTEN NOW, WHAT HAPPENS? TO GO THROUGH
AS IT'S WRITTEN NOW, WHAT HAPPENS?
DOES IT SIMPLY BECOME FINANCIALLY UNSUSTAINABLE.
DO YOU HAVE TO TURN PEOPLE ON MEDICAID AWAY?
WHAT IS THE PRACTICAL IMPACT OF THIS?
>> SURE, THANKS, CASIE. AND I'LL GIVE YOU A PERFECT
EXAMPLE. I WAS JUST IN PAUL RYAN'S
DISTRICT, WHERE WE HAVE THREE PLANNED PARENTHOOD HEALTH
CENTERS. THEY PROVIDE ONLY PREVENTATIVE
HEALTH SERVICES, CANCER SCREENINGS, BIRTH CONTROL.
FOR MANY WOMEN, WE'RE THEIR ONLY HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS.
AND WHAT IT WOULD MEAN IS ALL THE WOMEN ON MEDICAID IN THAT
DISTRICT COULD NO LONGER COME TO THEIR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER,
WHICH IS PLANNED PARENTHOOD, AND GET THEIR BASIC ACCESS TO CARE.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S LOST ON A NUMBER OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
IS WE ARE -- HALF OF OUR HALF CENTERS ARE IN MEDICALLY
UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. THAT MEANS A LOT OF RURAL, SMALL
TOWN, MIDWEST COMMUNITIES. AND WE'VE BEEN HEARING FROM
WOMEN, ONE IN FIVE WOMEN IN THIS COUNTRY GO TO PLANNED PARENTHOOD
FOR HEALTH CARE AT SOME POINT IN THEIR LIFETIME.
WE'VE BEEN HEARING FROM WOMEN ABSOLUTELY PANICKED ABOUT WHERE
THEY CAN GO TO FOR CARE. AND I THINK THE OTHER THING
THAT'S IMPORTANT SWB YOU KNOW, WE'RE SO PROUD OF THE WORK WE'VE
DONE ON PREVENTING UNINTENDED PREGNANCY.
WE'RE ACTUALLY NOW AT AN HISTORIC LOW FOR TEEN PREGNANCY
IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. WE'RE AT THE LOWEST RATE OF
ABORTION SINCE ROE VERSUS WADE WAS DECIDED.
AND ONE THING THAT HASN'T BEEN REPORTED TOO MUCH OUT OF THE CBO
SCORE, THEY ESTIMATE, AS DOES EVERY OTHER MEDICAL JOURNAL, IS
IF YOU ACTUALLY BLOCK ACCESS TO PLANNED PARENTHOOD, UNINTENDED
PREGNANCY WILL GO UP, AS WILL THE RATE OF ABORTION, WHICH JUST
SEEMS CRAZY TO US. >> SO CECILE, IT'S APPARENT THAT
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS HAD AN OBSESSION FOR SEVEN TO EIGHT
YEARS WITH OBAMACARE. FROM YOUR POINT OF VIEW, WHAT IS
THEIR APPARENT OBSESSION WITH PLANNED PARENTHOOD?
>> I THINK IT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
I MEAN, ONE OF THE PROBLEMS WE HAVE, OF COURSE, IS THIS BILL
WAS DRAFTED WITH ONLY MEN. I THINK IT'S NOTABLE THAT THE
TWO MOST VOCAL REPUBLICAN OPPONENTS ARE WOMEN.
THEY UNDERSTAND FUNDAMENTALLY THAT FOR WOMEN, THIS IS NOT A
POLITICAL ISSUE. THIS IS AN ISSUE OF ACCESS TO
AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE. I CAN'T TELL YOU, WE HAVE --
LAST YEAR WE DID MORE THAN 300,000 BREAST CANCER
SCREENINGS. WE DETECTED MORE THAN 70,000
CANCERS. FOR WOMEN WHO LIVE IN A
COMMUNITY WHERE THERE'S NO OTHER PROVIDER.
AND EVEN THOUGH THE REPUBLICANS SAY, THEY CAN GO ANYWHERE.
IF YOU HAVE A LUMP ON YOUR BREAST, YOU CAN'T WAIT ONE OR
TWO MONTHS TO ACTUALLY GO SEE A DOCTOR.
THAT'S WHAT PLANNED PARENTHOOD REPRESENTS.
AND I JUST THINK THE REPUBLICANS ARE MAKING A BIG MISTAKE BY
PUTTING POLITICS AHEAD OF WOMEN'S HEALTH CARE.
>> IT HAS TO BE ENCOURAGING ON ONE LEVEL, TO HAVE ONE OF THE
MOST VOCAL, IMPASSIONED DEFENDERS OF THIS ISSUE BE LISA
MURKOWSKI. >> ABSOLUTELY.
>> WHEN I WAS IN CONGRESS, AND JOE WAS THERE, IT WAS GENERALLY
DEMOCRATS WHO HAD TO MAKE THE CASE.
BUT FOR LISA MURKOWSKI TO MAKE THE CASE, HOW SIGNIFICANT IS
THAT FOR PLANNED PARENTHOOD? AND HOW SIGNIFICANT IS THAT FOR
BIG HEALTH CONVERSATIONS GOING FORWARD IN YOUR ESTIMATION WITH
THE SENATE? >> IT'S HUGE, HAROLD.
AND I THINK ONE OF THE REASONS THAT LISA IS SUCH AN ADVOCATE IS
BECAUSE WE PROVIDE HEALTH CARE TO THOUSANDS OF WOMEN IN ALASKA.
AND SHE AND I HAVE SPOKEN MANY TIMES.
SHE SAID, YOU KNOW, IF YOU ARE IN JUNEAU OR ANOTHER SMALL TOWN
IN ALASKA, PLANNED PARENTHOOD MAY BE THE ONLY PLACE OPEN TO
GET FAMILY PLANNING SERVICES, TO GET YOUR BREAST CANCER
SCREENING, YOUR CERVICAL CANCER SCREENINGS.
AND I JUST FEEL LIKE WE CAN -- I MEAN WING THAT'S WHY YOU'RE
HEARING WHY WOMEN ARE SO UPSET ABOUT THIS BILL.
IT ACTUALLY TAKES AWAY ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE, WHEN, IN FACT, WE
SHOULD BE INCREASING IT. AND I THINK WOMEN JUST FEEL
LIKE, BOY, IF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS CAN CHOOSE WHERE THEY'D
GO TO FOR HEALTH CARE, WHY SHOULDN'T WOMEN IN AMERICA BE
ABLE TO CHOOSE PLANNED PARENTHOOD.
>> IN JUNEAU OR PLACES LIKE THAT, ARE THERE PLACES WHERE
PLANNED PARENTHOOD IS THE ONLY OPTION?
THERE ARE NO OTHER OPTIONS AROUND?
YOU CAN SHOW ON A MAP? >> ABSOLUTELY.
AND THAT'S WHAT I SAW IN RACINE, WISCONSIN, IN PAUL RYAN'S OWN
DISTRICT. THERE WAS NO OTHER SAFETY NET
PROVIDER FOR FAMILY PLANNING. AND AGAIN, THE MAIN REASON YOU
CAN PREVENT UNINTENDED PREGNANCY IS BECAUSE WOMEN CAN GET IN AND
GET BIRTH CONTROL WHEN THEY NEED AND IT GET THE BEST KIND OF
BIRTH CONTROL. THAT'S WHAT WE PROVIDE AT
PLANNED PARENTHOOD. >> DONALD TRUMP'S POSITION ON
PLANNED PARENTHOOD HAS BEEN SORT OF STRANGE, OVER TIME.
IF YOU LOOK BACK AT THE DEBATE IN FEBRUARY OF 2016, HE SAID,
QUOTE -- THIS ISES IN A REPUBLICAN DEBATE.
MILLIONS AND MILLIONS AND OF WOMEN, CERVICAL CANCER AND
BREAST CANCER ARE HELPED BY PLANNED PARENTHOOD.
I WOULD DEFUND IT, BECAUSE I'M PRO-LIFE, BUT MILLIONS OF WOMEN
ARE HELPED BY PLANNED PARENTHOOD.
HE SAID MORE RECENTLY, IF YOU STOPPED PERFORMING AT ABORTIONS
AT PLANNED PARENTHOOD, YOU COULD KEEP ALL YOUR FEDERAL FUNDING.
IS THAT SOMETHING YOU EVER WOULD CONSIDER?
>> I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT, WILLIE -- AND LOOK, I
APPRECIATE THE IMPORTANT YOU SAID AND RECOGNIZED WHAT I THINK
MOST PEOPLE IN AMERICA RECOGNIZE, 80% IN THE LATEST
POLL, THAT PLANNED PARENTHOOD PROVIDES VITAL HEALTH CARE FOR
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY.
>> AND DONALD TRUMP RECOGNIZES. >> THAT'S TRUE.
BECAUSE ONE IN FIVE WOMEN HAVE BEEN TO US FOR HEALTH CARE.
IT'S A FACT OF THE MATTER. THE THING I DON'T UNDERSTAND AND
I WOULD CHALLENGE ANY MEMBER OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE OR
CONGRESS IS, IF YOU REALLY WANT TO REDUCE THE UNINTENDED
PREGNANCY RATE AND NEED FOR ABORTION, YOU SHOULD BE FUNDING
GROUPS LIKE PLANNED PARENTHOOD THAT DO MORE THAN ALL THIS
POLITICAL WRANGLING DOES TO PROVIDE BIRTH CONTROL TO WOMEN.
>> THAT'S A NONSTARTER? STOP PERFORMING ABORTIONS AND
YOU'LL KEEP YOUR MONEY? >> IT'S A LEGAL RIGHT THAT WOMEN
HAVE. AND WHAT I WOULD SAY, WILLIE,
THAT'S IMPORTANT, WE OPERATE LIKE EVERY HOSPITAL IN AMERICA,
WE ACT LIKE OTHER COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES THAT PROVIDE
ABORTIONS AS WELL, BUT WE DO MORE IN THE AREA OF FAMILY
PLANNING THAN ANY ORGANIZATION IN THIS COUNTRY.
>> CECIL RICHARDS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>>> JUST AHEAD, SENATOR DICK DURBIN WAS HEARD SINGING THE
ROLLING STONES, "YOU CAN'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT," AFTER