Press Releases

A story appearing this week on the blog The Daily Signal lists the American Cancer Society as one of dozens of companies that donate directly to Planned Parenthood. The claim is quickly spreading on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media. The Society has not and does not “donate to Planned Parenthood.” Rather in the past, the Society funded a limited number of grants to implement cancer control programs. Those grants are no longer active.

Society Chief Executive Officer Gary Reedy has released the following statement.

"The American Cancer Society does not fund grants to Planned Parenthood affiliates. We have previously funded a very limited number of cancer control grants to Planned Parenthood affiliates to implement cancer control programs, such as training clinic staff to screen patients for smoking, providing patients the benefits of quitting smoking, and referring patients to a toll-free smoking cessation helpline. These grants expired several years ago. The American Cancer Society does not fund – nor has it ever funded—abortion or contraceptive counseling."