Historic amendment to defund Planned Parenthod passes overwhelmingly in House
In a historic vote Friday afternoon, the US House voted to strike all federal funding for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Every year the abortion giant receives hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funding.
The congressional body voted 240-185 in favor of the amendment, introduced by Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), to the 2011 Federal Spending Bill.
Immediately after the vote Rep. Pence released a statement saying: “This afternoon’s vote is a victory for taxpayers and a victory for life. By banning federal funding to Planned Parenthood, Congress has taken a stand for millions of Americans who believe their tax dollars should not be used to subsidize the largest abortion provider in America.
“I commend my colleagues in both parties for taking a stand for taxpayers and a stand for life. I encourage my colleagues in the Senate to support this legislation and end federal funding of Planned Parenthood once and for all.”
The amendment will now go before the Senate.
The vote came after a heated debate in the House. It also comes in the wake of an explosive series of videos released by the pro-life organization Live Action, which showed Planned Parenthood staff repeatedly being willing to aid and abet the trafficking of underage “sex workers” by offering advice to an undercover investigator posing as a “pimp” on how to obtain secret abortions, contraception, and STD tests.
In a web page released right after the vote, Planned Parenthood called the legislation “the most dangerous legislative assault in our history, and it cannot go unanswered.” In an open letter to Congress that the organization is asking supporters to sign, the abortion giant says “To every member of Congress, know that we stand together today against this outrageous assault, and together we will not lose.”
Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, blasted the vote.
“The new anti-choice House leadership promised a jobs agenda and is now waging a war on contraception,” Keenan said. “This is why elections matter. In the past, we had the votes to beat attacks like this amendment, but a new wave of anti-choice politicians is voting to take away women’s access to birth control. These lawmakers are out of control, and we will hold them accountable for their actions. As the debate goes to the Senate, our members will tell senators that they must put a stop to this extreme anti-choice agenda.”
In a statement Tony Perkins of Family Research Council congratulated the House: “We commend Mike Pence and the bipartisan majority of House Members who stood with the American people in saying that enough is enough. Planned Parenthood, a scandal-plagued abortion organization, must be held accountable for abusing innocent young victims while receiving hundreds of millions in federal dollars each year.”
“The fact that Planned Parenthood not only left minor girls trapped in prostitution, but encouraged it, shows an incredible lack of humanity on their part. What goes on behind the windowless offices of Planned Parenthood, as Live Action’s videos show, is both saddening and shocking, but the fact that it has often been done with taxpayer dollars is indefensible.”
“We urge the U.S. Senate and President Obama to adopt the Pence amendment and respect the millions of Americans who oppose their hard-earned dollars going to a corrupt organization that destroys innocent human life,” concluded Perkins.
The American Center for Law and Justice also welcomed the vote, saying that it was “long overdue.” “In less than a week, the ACLJ has heard from nearly 55,000 people who urged the House to defund Planned Parenthood by signing on to a petition demanding action,” said ACLJ in a statement.
“There’s no better place to begin the budget cutting process than putting a stop to funding Planned Parenthood,” said Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the ACLJ. “It’s stunning that Planned Parenthood receives more than $360 million dollars a year in federal taxpayer funds. According to its own filings, Planned Parenthood reported more than 330,000 abortions in 2009 alone, a number that continues to climb. By receiving this windfall of federal funds, Planned Parenthood is able to free-up other resources enabling them to continue to promote and expand their pro-abortion agenda. The approval of the Pence Amendment in the House is long overdue and sends a strong message - American taxpayers are no longer willing to subsidize the nation’s largest abortion provider.”
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-amendment-to-defund-planned-parenthod-passes-in-house/
