Planned Parenthood defunding is opposed by a majority of Americans.
Six states -- Texas, Indiana, North Carolina, Wisconsin, New Hampshire and Kansas -- have withdrawn state funds from Planned Parenthood during the 2011 legislative sessions due to the fact that some clinics provide abortions. However, recent polls indicate that a majority of American voters oppose cutting off funds to the family planning provider.
According to a new Gallup poll, roughly 40 percent of Americans surveyed support a law prohibiting health clinics that provide abortions from receiving any federal funds. Only a third of respondents think that Planned Parenthood should be defunded, compared to 55 percent of voters who said the organization's funding should remain untouched.
A recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll found that over 53 percent of all respondents and 60 percent of women aged 18 to 49 found it "mostly or totally unacceptable" to cut off money to Planned Parenthood.
Abortions account for less than three percent of Planned Parenthood's services. Though the Hyde Amendment already prohibits taxpayer money from being used to pay for abortions, many anti-abortion advocates oppose the federal funding of Planned Parenthood because they believe the funds could be used to support the procedure.
