FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 30, 2017
Contact: Mallory Quigley, [email protected], 202-223-8073
Legislation to Overturn Rule Forcing States to Fund the Abortion Industry is Headed to President Trump’s Desk
Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Senate voted today to overturn former President Obama’s rule concerning funding of abortion providers under the federal Title X family planning program. Vice President Mike Pence cast the tie-breaking vote. The votes came a day after the pro-life Center for Medical Progress released a new video consisting of previously unreleased footage showing a former high-level Planned Parenthood employee graphically describing the harvesting of babies’ organs in late-term abortions and possible infanticide of babies born alive.
“Today, Congress is sending a Resolution to President Trump ensuring that states are not forced to fund America’s abortion giant, Planned Parenthood, with Title X tax dollars,” said SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser. “We thank Rep. Diane Black (R-TN), Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), Senate Majority Leader McConnell, and of course Vice President Pence for their efforts to undo Obama’s parting gift to the big abortion industry led by Planned Parenthood.”
“Today’s vote makes it clear Congress also has the votes to send to President Trump a reconciliation bill that defunds Planned Parenthood of more than $400 million in taxpayer funding and instead funds community health centers. Women would be better served by these comprehensive health care entities, which outnumber the abortion chain by more than 20 to one nationwide. Planned Parenthood, which performs more than 320,000 abortions in a single year per their latest annual report, does not need or deserve taxpayer dollars.”
Dannenfelser added:
“Shame on self-proclaimed pro-life Senators Joe Donnelly (D-IN) and Joe Manchin (R-WV) for voting to force states to fund America’s abortion giant. Only yesterday new footage was released showing a former Planned Parenthood abortionist describe the force needed to dismember a five-month-old unborn child struggling to survive in the womb. Susan B. Anthony List will work tirelessly in the months ahead to make sure their constituents know of their betrayal of the unborn and their mothers.”
Earlier this week, SBA List called on Congress to enact a new reconciliation bill that redirects taxpayer funding from Planned Parenthood to community health care centers.
A January 2017 poll found that a majority of voters in 2018 Senate battleground states oppose giving tax dollars to Planned Parenthood, America’s largest abortion provider, instead of comprehensive healthcare providers. A majority in North Dakota, Montana, Ohio, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Florida also said they would be less likely to vote for Senators who vote to keep sending tax dollars to the abortion giant.
Susan B. Anthony List and its connected super PAC, Women Speak Out spent more than $18 million in the 2016 election cycle, knocking on more than 1.1 million doors in battleground states to defeat Hillary Clinton and maintain a pro-life Senate. SBA List is dedicated to pursuing policies and electing candidates who will reduce and ultimately end abortion. To that end, the SBA List emphasizes the education, promotion, mobilization, and election of pro-life women. The SBA List is a network of more than 465,000 pro-life Americans nationwide.
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