Senate Democrats & One Republican Block Defunding Planned Parenthood

When will the Feds arrest Planned Parenthood officials?

Today in Washington, D.C. - Aug 4, 2015:
The House is on their August "recess" - District Work Weeks. Suggest readers contact YOUR Congressman and tell him/her what you are concerned about.

The Senate reconvened at 10 AM today. Following an hour of morning business, the Senate resumed consideration of the motion to proceed to S. 754, the cybersecurity bill.

Yesterday, Senate Democrats and 1 Republican Senator Kirk (R-IL) filibustered the move to take up S. 1881, the bill to defund Planned Parenthood and redirect the money to women’s health programs. Two Democrats, Senators Donnelly (D-IN) and Manchin (D-WV) joined Republicans. One Republican Sen. Collins (R-ME) voted for taking up the bill but also said she would vote against the actual bill of defunding Planned Parenthood. Sen. Graham (R-SC) did not vote because he was campaigning. No other Senators running for the nomination of their party was absent.

Senate Leader McConnell also strongly supported the bill and voted for it. However, as Majority Leader, if he wishes to have another vote on the legislation, he must vote against it if there are not enough votes to invoke cloture. When it became clear there were not 60 votes, he changed his vote to ‘no’ so that he would have the ability to bring this legislation to a vote again.

Bill Smith, ARRA News Service Editor: It was expected that President Obama would carry out his public declaration that he would veto the Senate "defund Planned Parenthood" bill. When the House and Senate returns in September, they will seek to overcome the blockades by Senate Democrats to take up and pass the appropriations bills passed by the House. The most likely solution will be for the House to pass temporary "must pass" funding to prevent government agencies from shutting down. A rider to defund Planned Parenthood should be included in this "must-fund" legislation. Then if the president vetoes this "must pass" legislation, Obama would be shutting down the government over his personal desire to promote abortion and the harvesting of baby parts.

Note also that the stated intent by Republicans was to transfer funding to other Women's Health programs which are not doing abortions and harvesting baby organs. Money is fungible. Why should people of conscious have our tax dollars used either directly or indirectly for abortions, aka, the killing of a baby in the womb, and as revealed on the latest video, allowing babies born alive to die (infanticide)?"

Gary Bauer, Campaign for Working Families, noted today: "It is revealing that Senate democrats voted nearly unanimously to continue funding Planned Parenthood in spite of recent videos suggesting that aborted baby body parts are being "harvested" for profit by the group. Many Senate Democrats admitted that they did not even bother to watch the videos. Hillary Clinton, on the presidential campaign trail, released her own video making it clear that she was "proud to stand with Planned Parenthood."

On the GOP side, the nearly unanimous vote to defund Planned Parenthood was revealing, too. While we all expect the party to do more, it is notable that in 2007, eight Senate Republicans opposed defunding Planned Parenthood and yesterday, in reality, only one did.

Regardless of the Senate defeat, the House GOP leadership should make sure a vote takes place there too. Americans deserve to know where their Congressmen stand on the taxpayer funding of such a morally reprehensible organization.

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