President Barack Obama will not speak at Planned Parenthood’s annual fundraising dinner on Thursday night — cancelling in order to spend more time with the families of the victims of the fertilizer plant explosion in Texas.
White House spokesman Jay Carney announced the decision to cancel the keynote speech during his daily news briefing on Wednesday,
The Washington Times reports.
The president will still address Planned Parenthood and its supporters Friday morning.
Obama’s decision to appear at the fundraiser has drawn harsh attacks from pro-life advocates, particularly in light of the high-profile trial of an abortion provider in Philadelphia, the Times reports.
Carney, however, said the change was made “in order to allow him to spend more time with those injured and the loved ones of those lost in the deadly explosion in West, Texas,” the Times reports.
Obama is scheduled to speak on Thursday at a memorial service for the victims and family members of last week’s fertilizer-plant explosion, which killed 15 people and injuring more than 160.
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