WTF: House of Reps Votes to DeFund Planned Parenthood

The House of Representatives voted to freeze funding for Planned Parenthood with a largely party-line vote of 241-187. According to Mother Jones:

Planned Parenthood is barred by law from using federal funds to provide abortions. The $500 million or so it receives each year from the government allows the group to provide family planning and other reproductive health services to mostly poor women on Medicaid. Ahead of the vote, conservative activists and lawmakers circulated a list of thousands of other family planning providers that could replace Planned Parenthood for the thousands of poor women who use its services. There is ample evidence to suggest that these alternatives to Planned Parenthood do not have the capacity to treat the group’s patient.

The congressional kickback is largely in response to undercover videos that purported to show Planned Parenthood profiting from selling fetal tissue — allegations several investigations have shown to be unfounded.

Today the House also passed H.R. 3504, the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, with a vote of 248-177 — with the exception of Rep. Greg Walden, the Oregon delegation voted against it.

According to Oregon Right-to-Life, the bill “would require abortion clinics provide the same standard of care afforded to prematurely born infants. A failure to do so would become a federal crime. H.R. 3504 would also strengthen the penalties against an abortionist who overtly tried to kill an abortion survivor.”

Planned Parenthood is calling for a “national pink-out day,” posting on its Facebook page: “Had enough of the outrageous attacks? Join us on September 29 for ‪#‎PinkOut‬ Day! We’re turning the world PINK in a massive show of strength and solidarity for reproductive health and rights. Visit istandwithpp.org.”

Planned Parenthood provides affordable  reproductive health care, sex education and information to people across the U.S. and the world.