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HRC Shuts Down Jeb Bush With ... Facts, Duh

by Greta Jochem

Planned Parenthood has been a hot-button topic among presidential candidates — especially since the release of edited undercover videos sparked controversy. Conservatives have never been Planned Parenthood's biggest fan, usually citing disagreements over abortion and birth control. Republican frontrunner Jeb Bush is no exception; he made disparaging remarks against the organization saying they should not receive federal funding because they don't work on women's health issues. Hillary Clinton called Bush out for his Planned Parenthood comments, and other women are following her lead.

On Tuesday, Bush was at an event in Englewood, Colorado, when he was asked about women's health issues. Bush said that Planned Parenthood should not receive any federal funding:

I, for one, don’t think Planned Parenthood ought to get a penny though, and that's the difference because they're not actually doing women's health issues.

This is not the first time he has attacked the organization. At a Southern Baptist convention in early August he made similar remarks saying, "The next president should defund Planned Parenthood ... I'm not sure we need a half a billion dollars for women’s health issues," and at the same conference he boasted defunding the organization in Florida, "Look, I have the benefit of having been governor, and we did defund Planned Parenthood when I was governor." This rhetoric is pretty trendy now for conservatives — lot of other Republican candidates agree with him.

Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton quickly stepped in on Twitter and defended the organization, pointing out what Planned Parenthood does.

She's also come out in support of Planned Parenthood earlier this summer in a video saying, "I'm proud to stand with Planned Parenthood, I'll never stop fighting to protect the ability and right of every woman in this country to make her own health decisions."

Bush struck back Tuesday on Twitter:

Other women have taken notice, and followed in Hillary's lead, calling out Bush's attack.

They make a good point. Contrary to what Bush thinks, Planned Parenthood is actually incredibly helpful for women's health. Although a lot of people, especially conservatives, see Planned Parenthood as a place where women go to get abortions and birth control — which are their rights anyway — it's a lot more than that. According to its website, Planned Parenthood has helped over 5.1 million people worldwide in the form of health services, education, and other outreach. Its impact is broad, but also spread among low-income people who might otherwise struggle to receive care — 78 percent of patients have an income at or below 150 percent of the poverty line.

According to CNN, each year the organization performs 400,000 cervical cancer screenings and 500,000 breast exams. In 2013, they performed 4.3 million STD treatments and tests, 1.1 million pregnancy tests, as well as provided prenatal care to 18,684 women. And, by the way, anti-abortion Planned Parenthood haters, the organization doesn't use any federal funding for abortions — not to mention it's just 3 percent of its overall budget.

Preventing breast and cervical cancer, STD treatments and tests, pregnancy tests, providing prenatal care ... those all sound like they are providing healthcare for women. Sorry Jeb, check your facts. Hillary 1, Jeb 0.