WASHINGTON — Two U.S. Senators have introduced a bill that would redirect more than $500 million in federal funding from the abortion and contraceptive giant Planned Parenthood to women’s health care providers that do not perform abortions.
Sens. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and James Lankford, R-Okla., recently introduced the “Protect Funding for Women’s Health Care Act” with the support of 127 co-sponsors.
“Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no federal funds may be made available to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, or to any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, successors or clinics,” the bill reads in part. “All funds no longer available to Planned Parenthood will continue to be made available to other eligible entities to provide women’s health care services.”
The Act notes that community health centers, local health departments, physicians’ offices and others provide a variety of women’s services and pregnancy care—minus the killing. Reports state that there are over 13,500 community health centers alone that assist with women’s health.
“Such health services include relevant diagnostic laboratory and radiology services, well-child care, prenatal and postpartum care, immunization, family planning services such as contraception, sexually transmitted disease testing, cervical and breast cancer screenings, and referrals,” the bill outlines. “Many such entities provide services to all persons, regardless of the person’s ability to pay, and provide services in medically underserved areas and to medically underserved populations.”
As previously reported, the organization Live Action found in an investigation that the vast majority of Planned Parenthood locations do not offer prenatal care, and ultrasounds are only conducted in order to perform a guided abortion.
Sen. Lankford opined in a statement that the federal government should not be distributing millions in taxpayer funds to a controversial organization such as Planned Parenthood.
“For years, our nation has debated life and abortion, but at least we should agree that no taxpayer should be forced to fund the largest provider of abortion with their hard-earned tax dollars,” he said. “There is no reason for a private non-governmental organization, like Planned Parenthood, to receive $500 million a year in taxpayer money.”
Lankford also noted that “[r]edirecting taxpayer money from Planned Parenthood to other entities that provide women’s health care won’t put Planned Parenthood out of business; it will just ensure that taxpayers don’t fund their activities.”
As previously reported, according to Planned Parenthood’s annual report, during the 2014-2015 fiscal year, the organization received $553 million in taxpayer funding/grants in 2014, up from $528 million the year prior, which equated to 43 percent of its total income. $48 million of Planned Parenthood’s income was used for sex education, and $39 million was used for public policy, or to influence legislation, up from $33 million in 2013. Despite its expenditures, it still garnered a $61 million dollar profit.
It aborted 323,999 babies nationwide during that fiscal year, equating to approximately one-third of the more than 900,000 annual abortions in America.
Planned Parenthood has not yet released its 2015-2016 report for unknown reasons.
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