Senate votes to defund Planned Parenthood, Obama vows to veto

That same legislation would also block federal money from Planned Parenthood clinics, which provide abortion services.

Using a budget tool called reconciliation, which allows a bill to pass with 51 votes, the Senate passed the legislation 52-47.

Yet the legislation, passed under special Senate budget rules known as reconciliation, is still a significant accomplishment for Republicans, according to Politico.

A similar version of the bill was passed by the House on October 23, but they still have to vote because the Senate restructured the bill so that it can align with budgetary regulation.

After a long night of votes, Kirk and Collins ultimately voted against the Affordable Care Act repeal, citing the Planned Parenthood provision.

Senators voted 90-10 to pass an amendment by Sen.

But until now Democrats thwarted Republicans from shipping the legislation to the White House.

“Since before my first day in office, I pledged to do everything within my power to repeal Obamacare”, he said. Senate Democrats and reasonable Senate Republicans had attempted to save the Planned Parenthood funding, but their efforts were futile. Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida, who threatened to oppose the measure if it wasn’t strong enough.

Democrats claim that Obamacare, formally titled the Affordable Care Act, has provided 17.6 million Americans with health care and prevented insurance companies from refusing to insure patients with preexisting conditions.

Critics of the organization, many of whom seek to outlaw abortion in the United States, have falsely accused Planned Parenthood of selling fetal organs and body parts for profit following the release of secretly recorded videos by an anti-abortion activist in July.

Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Dawn Laguens said the Senate had given the group’s millions of clients “the cold shoulder of indifference”. Luckily for the rest of us, their vote is a largely symbolic one that will curry favor with their constituents but will be vetoed as soon as it hits Obama’s presidential desk.

Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom (CCHF) says the passage of the bill is a win, but a bigger victory would be a full repeal of the law. “I’ll take that to the polls and we’ll talk about it until the cows come home”.

Republicans argued voters were on their side.

But the bill still needs to be approved by the House of Representatives. “However, it does not repeal a majority of the 2,700-page law”.