NASHVILLE — Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush vowed Tuesday to cut off federal funding for Planned Parenthood if elected to the White House, but drew immediate fire from Democrats for adding, “I’m not sure we need half a billion dollars for women’s health issues.”
Democratic frontrunner Hillary Rodham Clinton replied on Twitter, “@JebBush: You are absolutely, unequivocally wrong.”
And Planned Parenthood issued a statement saying Bush “told the rest of America what Florida women have known for years, which is that he doesn’t believe women’s health is worth much.”
Bush leapt at the chance Tuesday to prove his anti-abortion bona fides before a group of largely conservative Christian voters at a meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. The former Florida governor was asked during an onstage interview, “Shouldn’t we … say not one more red cent for Planned Parenthood?”
His response — “The next president should veto Planned Parenthood” — drew a loud ovation at the packed Bridgestone Arena.