Rubio Says Planned Parenthood Should No Longer Get Taxpayer Money

On Monday, the Senate voted 53-46 to advance a GOP bill terminating Planned Parenthood’s federal funds.

Republicans expected to lose but envisioned political gain because the videos have fired up their core conservative, anti-abortion voters.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is leading a state investigation of Planned Parenthood prompted by previous videos, and called the latest “simply appalling”.

“We will not tolerate this attack on women’s health care in the guise of stopping abortion”, added Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat.

On Tuesday afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said there will be “no more government shutdowns”.

As for Democrats and others who support continuing to fund Planned Parenthood, he said, “If they want to stand before the American people and say that they support this practice of dismembering unborn children, then that’s their privilege”.

Iowa Republican Joni Ernst sponsored the bill, as the G-O-P tried to avoid allegations of being insensitive to women.

Democrats Joe Donnelly of Indiana and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, and Illinois Republican Mark Kirk, who faces a tough re-election fight next year, crossed party lines in the roll call. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a presidential candidate, was in New Hampshire and didn’t vote.

“Planned Parenthood does not represent the values of the people of Louisiana and shows a fundamental disrespect for human life”, Gov. Jindal said in a statement.

Trump said Monday on conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt’s show that the videos, which feature Planned Parenthood officials apparently discussing the sale of fetal tissue and organs for medical research, are “disgraceful”.

A Los Angeles judge last week issued a separate temporary restraining order blocking the center from releasing any video of leaders of StemExpress, a California company that provides fetal tissue to researchers.

Farrell doesn’t specifically address in the video whether Planned Parenthood clinics are paid for more than just the time and effort involved in collecting fetal body parts during abortions.

The Director of Research for Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, Melissa Farrell, tells the person shooting the video she can sometimes procure intact fetuses.

That’s when lawmakers will consider legislation keeping government agencies open after their budgets expire October 1.

And each party was bracing for the fight to be revisited when Congress returns next month from its recess. Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., has said he expects to get several dozen signatures on a letter opposing any spending bill containing money for Planned Parenthood, and some GOP senators, including Cruz, Paul and others, have voiced similar sentiments.

Planned Parenthood claims to be the largest provider of reproductive health services in the United States, providing services to 2.7 million patients in 2013 alone. Top of the list, Planned Parenthood. And for many low-income women, Planned Parenthood health centers are their sole source of medical care.

Nationally, abortions make up just 3 percent of the services provided by Planned Parenthood, according to the organization’s 2014-2015 annual report. U.S. law tightly restricts applying federal funds to abortions.