Senate GOP’s Plan for Planned Parenthood Takes Aim at Black Families
December 4, 2015(Photo credit: Gage Skidmore)
On Thursday the Senate passed legislation to repeal sections of the Affordable Care Act and defund Planned Parenthood by a 52-47 vote. The vote comes less than a week after a gunman attacked a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, Colo., killing three people and injuring nine others. The suspect, Robert Dear, said to be a drifter who spouted anti-abortion rhetoric, is being held without bond.
Like Dear who reportedly uttered “no more baby parts” to authorities, Congressional Republicans took aim at Planned Parenthood’s federal funding after this summer’s release of highly edited videos purporting to show the healthcare nonprofit profiting from the donation of fetal tissue after abortion procedures.
Through a series of hearings and votes, Republicans have attempted to withdraw the $500 million Planned Parenthood receives in Medicaid reimbursements and Title X funding. Several states have attempted to defund the organization even though courts have found this to be illegal. To date, no state has found Planned Parenthood guilty of any wrongdoing, however it doesn’t matter to politicians hell-bent on denying healthcare to millions of Americans.