House votes to freeze federal funding for Planned Parenthood

[WestVirginiaRebel]

The Hill:

The House on Friday voted along party lines to freeze federal funding for Planned Parenthood after weeks of escalating tension surrounding its use of fetal tissue.

 

In a 241-187 vote, nearly all Republicans and two Democrats approved legislation that would block Planned Parenthood's federal funding for one year, giving time for Congress to fully investigate claims of wrongdoing by the provider.

 

Lawmakers also passed a bill tightening restrictions on abortion doctors who violate infant protections in a 248-177 vote.

 

“What we’ve learned about Planned Parenthood is appalling, barbaric and indefensible,” Rep. Keith Rothfus (R-Pa.) said.

 

Three Republicans broke ranks to vote against the funding freeze: Reps. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.), Robert Dold (R-Ill.) and Richard Hanna (R-N.Y.). The Democrats voting to defund were Reps. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) and Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), who are both opposed to abortion rights.

 

Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) voted "present," objecting that the measure would allow Planned Parenthood to perform abortion in cases of rape, incest, and when the mother’s life is at risk.

An official with the Planned Parenthood Action Fund ripped the vote as a “callous attempt to insert politics into women’s heath."

 

“Millions of Americans rely on Planned Parenthood for birth control, lifesaving cancer screenings, and other critical preventive care, and nothing that politicians in Congress did today will change the fact that our doors remain open to everyone, in every part of this country, who needs high-quality, compassionate reproductive health care,” said Eric Ferrero, the action fund’s vice president of communications.

 

The House vote represents the first time that congressional Republicans have approved legislation to defund Planned Parenthood in the wake of this summer’s undercover video controversy. The vote is largely symbolic, as Democrats are expected to block the bill in the Senate.

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"High-quality, compassionate health care." Except for babies, that is.

 

[Valin]

Related

 

9th Cir. Calls Time Out in Abortion Vids Case
NICHOLAS IOVINO

Sept. 18 2015

 

SAN FRANCISCO (CN) - The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ordered a federal judge to halt certain actions in a lawsuit against an anti-abortion group over secretly taped videos until it rules on an emergency motion to stay discovery. The Center for Medical Progress, a group of self-described citizen journalists that released videos of Planned Parenthood officials discussing the sale of fetal tissue in recent months, filed a writ of mandamus and emergency motion to stay discovery with the Ninth Circuit earlier this week. Discovery has been a point of contention between CMP and the National Abortion Federation, which sued the activist group in July, for weeks.

 

In a recent court filing, NAF accused CMP of attempting to "obstruct discovery into their conduct by all means necessary." On Thursday, the Ninth Circuit issued an order directing the district court not to issue a preliminary injunction or require CMP and its co-defendants to respond to any discovery requests until it rules on CMP's writ of mandamus. CMP's 32-page mandamus petition, filed Sept. 14, asks the Ninth Circuit to order U.S. District Judge William Orrick to halt all discovery in the lawsuit until a ruling comes down on its motion to strike or dismiss NAF's complaint. CMP also asks that Orrick be ordered to rule on a pending motion for preliminary injunction without conducting discovery.

 

Orrick issued a temporary restraining order blocking CMP from releasing secretly recorded videos of NAF meetings on July 31, hours after NAF sued the activist group for allegedly violating confidentiality agreements and violating the privacy of its members. Last week, Orrick ruled CMP members and co-defendants David Daleiden and Troy Newman could not claim Fifth Amendment rights to refuse all of NAF's discovery requests.

 

(Snip)

 

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