Thompson Defends Himself Against Pamphlet's Charges
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- As Fred Thompson makes his final push in South Carolina, his opponents have stepped up their anti-Thompson rhetoric. After a rally in Greenville last night, many cars in the parking lot outside had fliers stuck on their windshields accusing Thompson of supporting Planned Parenthood, a pro-choice organization. (Scroll down to see the pamphlet)
"FACT: Fred Thompson voted to give over $65 millon of YOUR tax dollars to America's largest Abortion provider Planned Parenthood in 2002," the pamphlet reads.
The campaign calls the pamphlet "intentionally misleading" and believes Mike Huckabee supporters are behind them.
While Thompson did vote yes on H.R. 3061 while he was a senator (as did most members of the Senate – the vote was 90-7 - though, interestingly John McCain was one of the 7 "nay" votes), it was a typical appropriations bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education totalling $686 billion for FY 2002.
As part of that bill, Planned Parenthood did receive federal funding from the Department of Health and Human Services. But it is illegal for any federal funds to be used for abortions because of the Hyde Amendment, and as it says in Title V of the bill itself: "None of the funds appropriated under this Act, and none of the funds in any trust fund to which funds are appropriated under this Act, shall be expended for any abortion."
Thompson told reporters today: "It's just another last-second distortion that's basically high school politics practiced by folks with high school mentalities. I don't think it has the effect some think it does or it used to, especially when the distortions are so blatant and so easily refuted. It's based on the assumption that people are stupid. And I don't think they are."
The campaign says that "Senator Thompson worked in the Senate to ensure that federal funds did not go to fund abortions," and points out that he received the endorsement of the National Right to Life Organization.
