Republican efforts to push abortion back to the top of the US political agenda have fallen short of the necessary votes to move forward in the Senate. Sixty votes were needed to end debate on the bill and advance to a final vote. The vote was 53 to 46.
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For their part, pro-choice activists have argued that the videos were deceptively edited and that, at worst, Planned Parenthood provides human tissue for research purposes, which is legal.
The U.S. Senate has rejected a bill to defund Planned Parenthood and transfer its estimated $500 million in federal funds to other women’s health sources.
Some GOP senators have said they will sign a letter opposing any spending bill containing money for the nonprofit women’s health organization, raising the prospect of another government shutdown standoff in Congress this fall.
Several Democrats accuse Republicans of scheduling the vote during the week of the first presidential primary debate to help boost their appeal among social conservatives. This has angered many Democrats.
West Virginia Democrat Sen.
The legislation’s main sponsor was freshman Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, was largely expected to fail, according to the AP.
“At the national office, we have a litigation and law department which just really doesn’t want us to be the middle people for this issue right now …” However, the nonprofit organization fiercely denies conservatives’ allegations that Planned Parenthood profits from selling fetal body parts.
Murkowski says she wanted the bill to advance so she could vote for an amendment offered by Republican moderates Susan Collins of Maine and Mark Kirk of Illinois. I have also called for the revocation of Planned Parenthood’s federal non-profit status. Christie responded to a video produced by Clinton’s presidential campaign in which the Democratic frontrunner directly criticizes Republicans for “assaulting” the nation’s largest abortion provider. Many also hope the videos will turn public sentiment against abortion.
Planned Parenthood says it has done nothing wrong and only charged fees to laboratories to cover the cost of processing and shipping the tissue, which is allowed by federal law.
A bill to defund Planned Parenthood failed a procedural vote in the U.S. Senate today. Sen.
Many congressional Republicans have called on Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell to launch an investigation of Planned Parenthood.
Planned Parenthood insists they aren’t involved in those practices.
“While Planned Parenthood runs about 700 centers nationwide, community health centers serve patients at more than 9,100 locations – 13 times the number of Planned Parenthood centers”, Lankford wrote. “I’m proud to stand with Planned Parenthood“. After the vote, the Alaska Democratic Party issued a statement headlined “Murkowski Abandons Alaska Women”. They have to do with contraception.
“The chance of a federal government shutdown increased dramatically and precipitously last week from 40 percent to 60 percent”. This is not a case where federal funds are going to support abortion or any of the related activities.
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“We will not tolerate this attack on women’s health care in the guise of stopping abortion”, added Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat.
