In celebration of its 100th anniversary, which occurred last October, Planned Parenthood has announced it will be hosting a New York City gala, complete with the presentation of a “Champion of the Century” award to one of its longtime advocates: former Secretary of State and 2016 presidential runner-up Hillary Clinton. According to the abortion giant, Clinton is being honored “for her 40 years of service to women and girls in this country,” though what she accomplished in those 40 years is not specified.
However, it’s not difficult to see why Planned Parenthood sees Clinton as worthy of such an honor. The former Democratic standard-bearer has for many years been Planned Parenthood’s staunchest political ally, strongly supporting the organization and everything it stands for. During her doomed campaigns in 2008 and last year, she promised repeatedly to pass legislation that would benefit the organization financially as well as to protect its current federal funding. She also made clear her preference that access to abortion be increased and that widely supported restrictions be overturned.
This partnership did not just benefit Planned Parenthood, however. Clinton’s strong backing of the abortion giant in 2016 led the organization to make Clinton its first ever presidential endorsement, as well as launching a $30 million campaign in support of her and her Democratic allies. When she was Secretary of State, Planned Parenthood honored her with its highest award (at that time), the Margaret Sanger award — named after Planned Parenthood’s founder, a noted eugenicist who sought to lower the African American population.
It would seem that Planned Parenthood naming Clinton as its “Champion of the Century” is a final, farewell thank-you to Clinton, who appears to be retiring from the political sphere after her defeat by President Donald Trump last November. With its $500 million in federal funding now in jeopardy, perhaps it will not be too much longer before taxpayers can finally say farewell to their funding of Planned Parenthood as well.
Photo credit: Lorie Shaull via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0
