Planned Parenthood boss reveals Jared and Ivanka offered her a deal to end carrying out abortions

‘Honestly, it felt almost like a bribe,’ Richards wrote in ‘Make Trouble,’ according to People.

In her new book, outgoing Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards revealed that Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump offered her a boost in federal dollars if the women’s health provider stopped performing abortions. (According to the Daily Mail)

‘Honestly, it felt almost like a bribe,’ Richards wrote in ‘Make Trouble,’ according to People. ‘If Planned Parenthood wanted to keep our federal funding, we would have to stop providing abortions,’ she said she was told by Kushner.

Richards had gotten in contact with Ivanka Trump during the transition, and she sat down with the soon-to-be first daughter in January 2017, before President Trump’s swearing-in.

The Planned Parenthood head was encouraged by a ‘friendly acquaintance in the fashion industry’ to reach out.

‘Even if there was only a sliver of a chance of changing anyone’s mind, I owed it to Planned Parenthood patients to at least take the meeting,’ Richards said.

Ivanka Trump had decided to bring along her husband, Kushner, so Richards brought along her own spouse, Kirk Adams.
‘If nothing else, I felt I needed a witness,’ she wrote.

At the meeting, Kushner told Richard that Planned Parenthood ‘had made a big mistake by becoming “political.”‘
‘The main issue, he explained, was abortion,’ Richards wrote.

Kushner then said if Planned Parenthood wanted to keeps its federal dollars it would have to stop providing the procedure.

‘He described his ideal outcome: a national headline reading “Planned Parenthood Discontinues Abortion Services,”‘ the group’s president recalled.

Kushner added that if Planned Parenthood agreed to the plan, then federal funding could increase, but he encouraged Richards and her colleagues to ‘move fast,’ the book said.

‘If it wasn’t crystal clear before, it was now. Jared and Ivanka were there for one reason: to deliver a political win,’ she said. ‘In their eyes, if they could stop Planned Parenthood from providing abortions, it would confirm their reputations as savvy dealmakers.’

‘It was surreal, especially being asked to barter away women’s rights for more money,’ she continued. ‘It takes a lot to get Kirk mad, but it looked like his head was about to explode.’

Richards wrote that she rejected the offer, explaining that the group’s mission is to take care of women’s reproductive needs ‘including safe and legal abortion.’