Donald Trump defends Planned Parenthood even though he wants to defund it

The Republican managed a ‘human’ moment when he said the family planning clinic helps ‘millions of women’

Donald Trump's so-called defence of Planned Parenthood goes against the pack (AP)

The king of the media Donald Trump has managed to pull off a difficult job by proposing to defund and defend Planned Parenthood in one sentence.

In the same week that he has been accused of calling women various disparaging terms like "sex objects", he has praised a health service that has helped "millions of women".

Mr Trump is one of a long line of Republicans who wish to pull taxpayers’ money away from Planned Parenthood but he has also taken a singular public stand to point out the many other health services that its clinics provide.

In the Republican debate on Thursday evening, while his rivals accused him of praising an abortion center too highly, he responded: “As far as Planned Parenthood is concerned, I'm pro-life, I'm totally against abortion having to do with Planned Parenthood but millions and millions of women—cervical cancer, breast cancer—are helped by Planned Parenthood.”

So you can say whatever you want, but they have millions of women going through Planned Parenthood that are helped greatly," he added, as reported by CBS News.

Ohio Governor John Kasich, the most softly-spoken of the Republican pack, was the latest candidate to air his views on defunding the institution, and was shouted down by protestors who called out: “Why do you hate women’s health?“

Rival Ted Cruz said at the same debate that he would “investigate” Planned Parenthood if he were elected as President, presumably referring to the fake, spliced and edited videos released by anti-abortion activists which purport to show clinic staff negotiating profits on the sale of fetus tissue.

Marco Rubio also slammed Mr Trump’s defence of the clinic when he was asked about filling the seat of the late Justice Antonin Scalia, who was also pro-life.

Mr Trump continued: “And I wouldn't fund it. I would defund it because of the abortion factor which they say is 3 percent — I don't know what percentage it is, but I would defund it because I'm pro-life. But millions of women are helped by Planned Parenthood.”

His apparent defence of the clinic follows his remarks made at an earlier news debate in February.

“There are wonderful things having to do with women's health, but not when it comes to abortion.”