AL congressional delegation joins U.S. House majority in Planned Parenthood vote

Congress adjourned for the weekend with an October . 1 government shutdown deadline fast approaching and no clear plan from Republican leaders for extending funding for federal agencies.

The Defund Planned Parenthood Act passed by a vote of 241-187, while the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act was approved by a vote of 248-187.

In a publicly released letter to resign from the Freedom Caucus, California Republican Tom McClintock told Jordan the group’s habit of trying to get its way with GOP leaders withholding its votes from must-pass legislation ends up thwarting vital conservative policy objectives and helping Democrats.

Planned Parenthood has been a hot topic on Capitol Hill in recent weeks after a video went viral earlier this summer showing the organization’s officials discussing allegedly selling fetal organs to be used in medical research. The almost 700 Planned Parenthood clinics provide sexual disease testing, contraceptives, and abortions. No Republican voted against it, but only five House Democrats voted in favor of it. A White House statement issued September 16 said that President Obama would veto the bill because he thinks it “would likely have a chilling effect” on access to late abortions.

That would force the Senate to consider it and Obama to choose between signing a bill with the defunding language or shutting down the government, Fleming said.

The video caused insane controversy, with those against abortion and Planned Parenthood outraged at the allegations.

Planned Parenthood has almost 700 clinics.

“Kermit Gosnell was just the top of the iceberg of the abortion industry’s unspeakable cruelty to those little children of God”, Franks said, referring to the Philadelphia doctor convicted of killing three babies born alive during abortions.

Planned Parenthood says 95 percent of its work is in health screening and birth control, and that only 3 percent is abortions. This legislation, H.R. 3134, will strain an already overburdened health system; in many cases, health care providers would need to more than double their caseloads to make up for the essential services this bill takes away. He says Planned Parenthood has no facilities in the Second District but there are qualified health centers. Planned Parenthood has been at the center of an undercover video scandal, which questions whether it sells fetal tissue for profit.

Yet it was unclear if those moves would help House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, solve a political Rubik’s Cube. Ted Cruz.

While we wait for the Senate vote, now would be the time to show support to Planned Parenthood by donating and/or spreading the word.