The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to defund Planned Parenthood. From the story:
The House has approved a Republican proposal to block federal aid for Planned Parenthood. The 240-185 vote on Friday is a victory for anti-abortion forces led by Indiana GOP Rep. Mike Pence. He says taxpayer money should not go to groups that provide or promote abortion. Democrats say Planned Parenthood provides contraception and other valuable family planning services, and that cutting off the money will make it hard for women to get such basic help. Planned Parenthood provides services in hundreds of clinics around the country. Pence aides say the group reported receiving $363 million in federal money in its latest report.
The U.S. Senate is unlikely to go along. The question becomes, will the Senate Dems be willing to shut down the government to protect PP, or will House Reps settle for the symbolic gesture and restore funding in the reconciliation process, or will a compromise be found that reduces, but does not eliminate, funding. My prediction: Door number 3.
Regardless of how it goes, I think this is a big deal. Until now, PP had what amounted to a federal entitlement to taxpayer funding. I think those days are now over.
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