After Passionate Debate, House Votes To Strip All Funding Of Planned Parenthood
After an emotional debate, the House voted Friday afternoon to cut all funding of Planning Parenthood. The measure was an amendment to spending bill, which the House passed early Saturday morning.
(See related news summary of coverage of the bill's restrictions on spending for the new health law.)
The Associated Press: House Blocks Federal Aid For Planned Parenthood
The House has approved a Republican proposal to block federal aid for Planned Parenthood. The 240-185 vote on Friday is a victory for anti-abortion forces led by Indiana GOP Rep. Mike Pence. He says taxpayer money should not go to groups that provide or promote abortion. Democrats say Planned Parenthood provides contraception and other valuable family planning services, and that cutting off the money will make it hard for women to get such basic help (2/18).
Politico: Pence Proposal Will Be Part Of CR
The House just approved Rep. Mike Pence's amendment to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood, checking off a hot-button social issue even as it set up a bigger showdown over defunding the health care law. ... Pence, of Indiana, touched off a vicious back-and-forth Thursday night in which Republicans insisted the organization is too aggressive about performing abortions and several Democrats charged that the GOP was waging a "war on women." Pence said the amendment captures a rough public consensus that they accept legal abortions, but don't want to pay for them. ... Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler called the amendment a "bill of attainder" -- saying it was unconstitutional as such because the legislation was targeting a specific group (Nather and Nocera, 2/18).
The Hill: Pelosi: GOP Using Planned Parenthood As 'Whipping Boy' In Health Debate
A GOP proposal to eliminate federal funding for Planned Parenthood will threaten women's health and increase the frequency of abortion in America, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi warned Friday. The California Democrat accused Republicans of using Planned Parenthood "as a whipping boy to disguise their opposition to family planning" services in general. "This is a very dangerous situation for the health the reproductive health of women across our country," Pelosi told reporters in the Capitol. "It's degrading to women; it's disrespectful; it doesn't make any sense; and if you want to reduce the number of abortions in our country, you must commit to supporting contraception and family planning. Perhaps we have to have a lesson in the birds and the bees around here for [Republicans] to understand that," she quipped. (Lillis, 2/18)
The New York Times: Planned Parenthood Financing Is Caught In Budget Feud
Almost unnoticed in the wars over the federal budget has been a pitched battle over money for Planned Parenthood, which provides contraception, medical services and abortions at 800 clinics around the country. ... At stake is more than $75 million that Planned Parenthood receives to provide family planning assistance to low-income women, money that its opponents say only frees up funds for abortions (Eckholm, 2/17).
The Washington Post: House Debate On Defunding Planned Parenthood Stretches On For Nearly Three Hours
More than 30 House members, including members of leadership, spoke out on the measure, which was proposed by Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) as an amendment to the resolution on funding the federal government through September. At issue is Planned Parenthood's receipt of federal funds through Title X, a $327 million program founded in 1970 that covers family planning and reproductive health. By law, Title X funds can be spent on family planning and contraception but not on abortion services (Sonmez, 2/18).
The Hill: Dem Reveals Abortion In Planned Parenthood Funding Debate
The House chamber was silenced on Thursday night when California Rep. Jackie Speier (D) revealed that she had to have an abortion. ... Speier said she intended to speak to a different topic but was so upset by her GOP colleague Rep. Chris Smith's (N.J.) preceding five-minute speech during which he read graphic depictions from a book of a woman describing the experience of having an abortion. ... "I'm one of those women he spoke about just now. ... I lost the baby. And for you to stand on this floor and suggest that somehow this is a procedure that is either welcomed or done cavalierly or done without any thought, is preposterous,"" Speier said, glaring at the Republicans on the other side of the aisle (Hooper, 2/18).
