NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Millions of dollars in federal funding for Planned Parenthood may be in jeopardy after a vote on Capitol Hill.
The house voted 241-187 to approve legislation filed by Rep. Diane Black, R-Tennessee, to block the organization’s funding for one year. Rep. Black said the money would be reallocated to thousands of community health centers instead.
“No matter our views on abortion, or the party label beside our name – we all should have an interest in ensuring that laws are followed and that taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly,” said Rep. Black.
During her comments she referenced undercover videos that surfaced two months ago that she said proves Planned Parenthood illegally profited from sales of aborted baby organs and tissues for research. Planned Parenthood maintains it acted legally and the videos were doctored.
“Congressional investigations are underway, but there are more than enough lingering questions to stop the money flow to this abortion-giant until our work is complete,” said Rep. Black. “For these reasons, I introduced the Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2015.”
Planned Parenthood gets around $450 million yearly in federal payments, mostly Medicaid reimbursements for handling low-income patients. That’s around one-third of the organization’s $1.3 billion annual budget. Practically none of the federal money can be used for abortions.
The President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Middle and East Tennessee said it was disappointing that a representative from Tennessee spearheaded the effort.
“We’re disappointed that Members of Congress chose to put politics ahead of the healthcare of millions of women across the country. By voting to defund Planned Parenthood, they have denied women the access to critical services, including cancer screenings, affordable birth control and testing and treatment of sexually transmitted infections,” said Jeff Teague, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Middle and East Tennessee.
Even though the legislation passed in the House, it will face a tougher battle in the Senate, and the White House has already promised a veto.
