WASHINGTON — Some congressional Republicans remain determined to cut off federal funding for Planned Parenthood, but a nationwide USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll finds Americans back government support for the group by more than 2-1.
Two-thirds of those surveyed, 65%, say funding should continue for the group, which provides contraception, cancer screening and other health services to women; 29% say it should be cut off.
"Basically, we're defunding women's health care," protests Erika Raney, 32, a business consultant from Los Angeles who was among those surveyed. "It furthers the issue that women still don't have equal rights in the U.S."
Passions run high on both sides of the issue. Ronald Joseph, 78, a retiree from Elmira, N.Y., objects to the abortion services Planned Parenthood provides, although about $500 million in federal funding isn't used for that purpose. "They're butchers," he said in a follow-up interview. "They might as well put sawdust on the floor."
The poll of 1,000 likely voters, taken by phone Thursday through Monday, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
An even bigger majority opposes shutting down the government as a tactic to deny funds for the group. Before a Wednesday midnight deadline, congressional Republicans now are expected to pass a short-term budget bill that would fund Planned Parenthood and the rest of the government for a few months. But it's possible that showdown has only been delayed until the next fiscal deadline in December.
By 73% to 19%, those surveyed say opponents shouldn't force a shutdown over the issue. If they do, the GOP would bear the brunt of the blame: 43% say they would hold congressional Republicans responsible. Just 11% would blame President Obama and 10% congressional Democrats.
"I would probably start with Ted Cruz," says William Sather, 41, the technical director for a production company in St. Paul, Minn. Cruz, the Texas senator now running for the Republican presidential nomination, has vowed to delay a vote on the budget bill this week. He ignited a two-week government shutdown in 2012 over funding for the Affordable Care Act.
About one in four volunteered that they would blame all of those involved.i would think opposition would be much higher given the last attempt to do this by republicans and what it cost 24 billion bucks we need to cut off the fingers holding the purse strings they only seem to spend money to deny us and demean those who try to help don't forget the 4.5 million so far on Benghazi and still no scandal have they tried looking where the WMD were supposed to be??????? that place should be empty and big enough. PP war is just a vote grabbing hoax by republicans only 3% of services go to abortion.
http://www.factcheck.org/2011/04/planned-parenthood/
