Rep. Boebert Introduces Bill to Defund Planned Parenthood
Rep. Lauren Boebert (Republican from Colorado) has introduced a new draft bill to fund defunding Planned Parenthood by placing a one-year moratorium on federal funding to the organization, in line with the longstanding goal of many Republicans who oppose the organization’s provision of abortions.
The bill is Boebert’s first in the 118th Congress, which Republicans took control of in the midterm elections and are now pressing ahead with their “Commitment to America” agenda.
“The nation’s largest abortion provider has no business receiving taxpayer dollars,” Boebert spoke in a Jan. press release. “Planned Parenthood claims these funds go to healthcare for women, but last year, Planned Parenthood performed a record number of abortions while also reducing the number of well-woman exams and breast cancer screenings it performed.”
The bill is named “Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2023” (pdfThis law, which was passed by the Federal Government (Federal Funds Ban Act), prohibits federal funds from being made available for the organization or its affiliates or clinics unless the clinics and clinics certify they will not perform abortions. Exceptions are made for abortions in cases of rape, incest, or when the woman’s life is in danger.
The legislation also requires that the Secretary to Health and Human Services and then the Secretary to Agriculture must recover any federal aid Planned Parenthood, its affiliates, or clinics received in accordance with the certification they will not perform abortions within the moratorium period.
According to the draft bill, federal tax dollars that would have been spent on Planned Parenthood will instead be used to fund community health centers. The bill specifically seeks to redirect $235million to centers that provide healthcare for women in the United States.
This week, three additional pro-life bills were introduced by Republicans. These include restrictions on the use and administration of abortion pills, restrictions on Down syndrome-diagnosed abortions, and a reduction in federal funding for universities and colleges that have abortion clinics on campus.
‘Profit Off the Violence of Abortion’
Boebert’s bill has been endorsed by Students for Life of America, the National Right to Life Committee, Heritage Action, and Concerned Women for America.
“There’s no single entity that stands to make a profit off the violence of abortion more than Planned Parenthood,” Kristan Hawkins was the president of Students for Life of America.
“Deceitfully, Planned Parenthood guises their business model as one that helps women while their latest annual report shows they made $633 MILLION from taxpayers while ending 383,460 little lives in that same time frame,” Hawkins stated that Planned Parenthood screening services have fallen by double digit percentages “proving they’re in the business of abortion.”
The number of cancer screenings has decreased by 74%, prenatal care has declined by 72 percent, and Planned Parenthood contraceptive services has dropped by 41% since 2010. according to the Charlotte Lozier Institute, citing Planned Parenthood’s own annual reports.
From July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021, Planned Parenthood received $633.4 million in government funding, up from $618.1 million the previous year, according to the organization’s latest annual report (pdf).
Planned Parenthood responded to The Epoch Times’ request for comment by pointing out the organization’s response Prior “defund” Initiatives, which state that these moves prevent patients from receiving preventive services such as birth control or screenings for sexually transmitted diseases and cancer.
Background
The move to defund Planned Parenthood has been a longstanding goal of many Republicans, who object to the organization’s provision of abortion services. They claim that federal funds shouldn’t be used to support abortion-related organizations and should be diverted to other healthcare providers.
Planned Parenthood, however, claims that it provides a broad range of essential healthcare services, including screening for cancer, birth control and testing for sexually transmitted diseases.
According to the organization, defunding it would mean that many low-income people will lose access to non-abortion services.
If passed, the Defund Planned Parenthood bill would likely face significant opposition from Democrats and abortion advocates, who would see it as an attack on women’s reproductive rights and access to healthcare.
The bill’s future is uncertain as it will need to pass through several legislative stages before it can become law.
The bill’s introduction comes amid a wider discussion in the country about abortion rights.
Recent rulings by the Supreme Court in a case led to Roe v. Wade being overturned, a landmark decision that legalized abortion across the country.
Other Anti-Abortion Legislative Actions
Rep. Bob Good, R-Va. introduced the Teleabortion Prevention Act: This would require individuals seeking abortion pills to have a physical, take the medication at the clinic on-site, and attend a post-treatment appointment.
“Abortion is always wrong under any circumstance but allowing women to have chemical abortions alone without ever being physically examined is outright dangerous,” Good written in a post on Twitter Friday
Also on Friday, Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) introduced the Protecting Individuals with Down Syndrome Act and the Protecting Life on College Campus Act in their respective chambers.
Protecting Individuals with Down Syndrome Act – This would ban doctors from performing abortions based on a prenatal Down Syndrome diagnosis. Also, it would make it illegal to coerce a mother into an abortion.
The mother would not be prosecuted if the child is found breaking the law.
“Every life is created with God-given dignity and potential—no matter how small or how many chromosomes they may have,” Daines wrote in a tweet. “I’ll always fight to protect young moms and their unborn children from the violence of abortion.”
Protecting Life on College Campus Act would prohibit colleges and universities from receiving federal funding if they have abortion clinics that are targeted at students or staff or have affiliations to such clinics.
Like Boebert’s bill to defund Planned Parenthood, the other pro-life legislation is likely to face opposition by Democrats and other groups that oppose curbs on access to abortions.
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