In a poll conducted by Dan Jones & Associates between the dates of Aug. 7 and Aug. 14, it was found that the majority of Utah residents surveyed had an unfavorable view of Planned Parenthood and the use of fetal tissue in medical research.
Regarding the general perception of Planned Parenthood, the poll reported overall results of 40 percent of Utahns saying they viewed the organization “very unfavorably,” with only 19 percent expressing a “very favorable” viewpoint. When it came to examining the results from political party lines, the poll showed that 60 percent of Utah Republicans viewed Planned Parenthood “very unfavorably,” compared with 52 percent of Utah Democrats expressing a “very favorable” view of the organization. Utah Independents in the poll voted 34 percent “very unfavorably” against Planned Parenthood, and 21 percent said they had a “very favorable” view of the organization.
Utah’s views on Planned Parenthood and the use of fetal tissue
Planned Parenthood has been in the news recently when a series of secretly recorded videos showed top executives for the organization discussing the sale of fetal tissue for legal medical research. Congressional Republicans unsuccessfully attempted to defund Planned Parenthood, and closer to home, Utah Republican Governor Gary Herbert recently signed an Executive Order blocking federal dollars from going to the Utah division of Planned Parenthood, despite the fact that the Utah branch of the organization does not perform abortions or sell fetal tissue.
In the same Dan Jones & Associates survey, when Utahns were asked about the use of aborted fetal tissue for medical research, the party-line results were similar to the overall perception of Planned Parenthood, with 54 percent of Utah Republicans polled stating they “strongly oppose” the use of fetal tissue, while 39 percent of Utah Democrats stated they “strongly favor” the use. Overall, the poll showed that those in opposition to using fetal tissue numbered at 37 percent while those in favor of its use were at 15 percent. For Utah Independents, 32 percent of respondents said they “strongly oppose” and 17 percent said they “strongly favor” its use.
The Planned Parenthood Federation was founded in 1916. According to the Planned Parenthood website, “We are a trusted health care provider, an informed educator, a passionate advocate, and a global partner helping similar organizations around the world. Planned Parenthood delivers vital reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of women, men, and young people worldwide. … For nearly 100 years, Planned Parenthood has promoted a commonsense approach to women’s health and well-being, based on respect for each individual’s right to make informed, independent decisions about health, sex, and family planning.”
The Dan Jones & Associates poll used a sample of 500 Utah registered voters and was conducted from August 7-14. Its margin of error was +/- 4.99 percent.
