Lummis Votes to Defund Planned Parenthood

Only three Republicans opposed the bill, which would cut off the approximately $500 million that Planned Parenthood receives through federal funding each year. The other bill, called the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, criminally charges medical workers who fail to help an infant born after an unsuccessful abortion.

Planned Parenthood has lost its federal funding for a full year after a 241-187 vote in the House of Representatives on September 18.

Boehner is trying to get enough support from rank-and-file Republicans to pass a stopgap spending bill to prevent a partial government shutdown when the new fiscal year starts October 1. It, too, faces likely Senate defeat and an Obama veto threat.

Two important pro-life bills that could defund and devastate Planned Parenthood just passed in the House of Representatives, but President Obama has promised to veto them both.

Alabama’s delegation voted 6-1 to defund Planned Parenthood with the lone opposition vote coming from Birmingham Democrat Terri Sewell. There’s no charges at all that are pending against Planned Parenthood. The videos made it seem like Planned Parenthood profited from the sale of fetal tissue, but the organization says any fees are simply to cover transportation costs. Her fellow Republican of Tennessee, Rep. Marsha Blackburn, also a vocal supporter of the bill, declared, “If there is reason to investigate, there is reason to withhold taxpayer funding during that time“. None of it is used for abortions, the private agency has said. “We should be finding ways to make good health care policy for women and everyone else, not playing politics with people’s health”.

Hanna said Planned Parenthood provides “family planning counseling and birth control, which has been proven to reduce abortions”.

“Now that the false claims against Planned Parenthood have fallen apart, politicians are heartlessly scrambling to attack women’s access to health care however they can”, he said. The almost 700 Planned Parenthood clinics provide sexual disease testing, contraceptives, and abortions. Tom Reed, of Corning, Chris Collins, of Clarence, and Chris Gibson, of Kinderhook – supported the defunding measure.

Meanwhile, House Speaker John Boehner is in discussions with Democrats about a short-term funding bill, and with the continuing feud inside his own conference, he’ll need to rely on Democratic votes to prevent a shutdown. “They’re continuing to push that agenda no matter how many they hurt in the process”, he said in a statement.