Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Senate Could Vote As Soon As Monday On Bill To Defund Planned Parenthood
The Wall Street Journal: Senate To Vote As Soon As Monday On Defunding Planned Parenthood
The Senate will vote as early as Monday on a bill to strip Planned Parenthood of federal funding, a largely symbolic vote causing pain for centrists in both parties and drawing fire from conservatives who say it won’t satisfy their quest to put the organization out of business. (Stanley-Becker, 7/30)
Fox News: Planned Parenthood Backlash Could Fuel New Shutdown Standoff In DC
Political backlash over graphic Planned Parenthood videos is likely to keep building over the August congressional recess -- and could even lead to a new government shutdown stand-off later this year, as conservatives threaten to oppose any budget bill that funds the abortion provider. (Rowland, 7/30)
The New York Times: Taking Aim At Planned Parenthood, Conservatives Use Familiar Tactic
The vow by ardently conservative Republicans to reject any spending bill that does not cut off federal funds for Planned Parenthood is their latest attempt to force through policies by threatening to shut down the government. It is a tactic they employed after taking control of the House in 2011, when the government was nearly shuttered in a fight over money for abortions, and one they used again in 2013, when they tried to compel significant rollbacks to the Affordable Care Act, leading to a costly shutdown. (Steinhauer, 7/30)
Politico: GOP Support Grows For Hardline Planned Parenthood Strategy
Republicans are rallying behind a bare-knuckle strategy to strip Planned Parenthood’s government support via a must-pass fall spending bill, a momentum shift that dramatically increases the chances of a government shutdown fight this fall. What started out as a push from socially conservative firebrands like Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and 18 House members on Wednesday, is spreading to include more centrist members of the Senate GOP. On Thursday, Arizona Republican John McCain, who often tacks to the middle in the Senate, not only backed a plan to link Planned Parenthood defunding with spending legislation, he suggested the move was inevitable. (Everett and Haberkorn, 7/30)
USA Today: Family Planning Budgets In Crisis Before Planned Parenthood Controversy
Abortion opponents, outraged by a series of hidden-camera videos that depict Planned Parenthood employees discussing fetal tissue donation, have called for Congress to investigate Planned Parenthood and strip the organization of the more than $500 million in federal funding it receives each year. But the controversy over federal funding for Planned Parenthood surfaced long before the videos emerged. The group's critics in Congress, in an attempt to block any taxpayer money from going to Planned Parenthood, have sought for years to eliminate a federal family planning program. (Szabo and Ungar, 7/31)
Politico: Pelosi: Dems 'Overwhelmingly' Against Defunding Planned Parenthood
House Democrats will “overwhelmingly” oppose any government spending bill that defunds Planned Parenthood, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday. The California Democrat’s comments add to the risk that the government will shut down in October if Congress is unable to pass a stopgap measure because of objections from GOP lawmakers to Planned Parenthood’s federal funding. (French,7/30)
Reuters: White House Says Would Oppose Congress Defunding Planned Parenthood
The White House said on Thursday that U.S. President Barack Obama would oppose any efforts by Congress to divert money from Planned Parenthood, a health organization that performs abortions at its clinics. Republicans in Congress have threatened to pull $500 million in federal funding a year from Planned Parenthood after a group that opposes abortions released videos that suggest the organization profits from supplying aborted fetal tissue for medical research. (Edwards and Rampton, 7/30)
And a fourth video has been released -
The Chicago Sun-Times: Anti-Abortion Group Releases Fourth Planned Parenthood Video
The Center for Medical Progress has released a fourth surreptitiously filmed video of Planned Parenthood doctors discussing payment for fetal tissue Thursday. The video from the anti-abortion group — which some may find to be graphic — shows two people posing as fetal tissue buyers talking to a woman identified as Savita Ginde, medical director of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains. The faux buyers and Ginde discuss how to pay for fetal tissue without giving off a look of impropriety by classifying the exchange “in the research vein” instead of as a “business venture.” (Sutton, 7/30)
Politico: Fourth Video On Planned Parenthood Released
Opponents of Planned Parenthood on Thursday released the fourth in their series of undercover videos against the organization, this time with recordings of a doctor discussing how to avoid the perception of “selling fetal parts across states.” (Haberkorn, 7/30)
Meanwhile, in Indiana -
The Associated Press: Indiana Clears Planned Parenthood Of Wrongdoing After Videos
Indiana on Thursday cleared Planned Parenthood facilities that perform abortions in the state of any wrongdoing in the handling of fetal tissue. Gov. Mike Pence, a Republican, on July 16 ordered an investigation of Planned Parenthood facilities in Indianapolis, Bloomington and Merrillville to see if organs from aborted fetuses were being sold. He was among a number of conservative lawmakers around the country who have called for investigations after an anti-abortion group circulated a video it made secretly showing some of its national officials discussing how they obtain organs from aborted fetuses for research. Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest provider of abortions, has said its donations of fetal tissue for research are legal. (7/30)
