Texas Right to Life applauds Pro-Life legislators in the U.S. House for their efforts to defund Planned Parenthood

Washington, D.C. – September 30, 2015: This morning the U.S. Senate passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) that includes taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood.  The effort to put a moratorium on money to Planned Parenthood arose from intense scrutiny of the organization.  The Center for Medical Progress released undercover videos of top-level Planned Parenthood executives discussing the sale of fetal tissue, and multiple states and congressional committees launched investigations.  Despite efforts by conservative senators, including Texas’ Senator Ted Cruz, to halt a spending bill that includes funding to Planned Parenthood, the CR passed this morning with a vote of 78-20.

This afternoon the U.S. House debated the CR passed by the Senate, which funds the government until another spending bill is passed before December 11, 2015.  During the debate, Representative Martha Roby (R-AL) introduced a Pro-Life enrollment amendment to the CR that would remove federal funding from Planned Parenthood.  Representative Roby iterated that defunding Planned Parenthood is not an effort to defund healthcare for low income women, but rather an effort to ensure that fungible taxpayer dollars are not given to the largest abortion business in America, which is currently under investigation.

Before the showdown this afternoon, several U.S. Representatives from Texas vowed not to support the spending bill that includes funding Planned Parenthood.  All of the Republican Delegation from Texas, except for Congressmen Kevin Brady and John Culberson who were absent during the vote, supported the Pro-Life resolution and were joined by Texas Democrat, Congressman Henry Cuellar.

Almost all of the Texas Republican Congressmen and women voted against the Continuing Resolution from the Senate, which included taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood and is most likely going to be sent to the President later this evening.  Congressmen Will Hurd and William “Mac” Thornberry joined the Democrats voting in favor of the government spending bill that included Planned Parenthood funding.

Texas Right to Life is disappointed in the failure of Senate leadership to address the concerns of the American people and to stop federal funding from going to a private organization under multiple criminal investigations.  The vote in the Senate this evening is expected to once again include funding to Planned Parenthood, as the Senate will not consider the Pro-Life enrollment amendment passed in the House.