This past Friday, the House voted along party lines to block
any federal funding of Planned Parenthood for a year. In a 241-187, almost all
House Republicans and two Democrats approved this legislation. This will give
time for Congress to investigate the claims of wrongdoing. The legislation is
unlikely to be enacted as the Senate has enough votes to block it, and
President Obama has promised a veto. However, the passing in the House is
mostly a symbolic action, since it is the first legislation that has been
passed after the hidden camera videos of Planned Parenthood employees came out
this past summer, which featured dialogue between
employees of Planned Parenthood discussing how they can illegally profit from
the tissue of aborted fetuses.
House GOP leaders hope that this legislation will placate
the 31 conservatives who have promised not to vote for any spending bill that
includes Planned Parenthood in order to avoid a government shutdown. However,
it is unlikely that this action will suffice as Rep. Steve King
(R-Iowa) said that is was “not a sufficient vote to defund Planned Parenthood”
and “Innocent, unborn babies deserve more than just a show vote.” Democrats
such as Rep. Frank Pallone have accused the Republicans of just wanting a
government shutdown, claiming, “That’s what they’re all about.” But, Rep. Marsha
Blackburn (R- Tenn) refuted this statement, saying, “We are not on a bill about
a government shutdown.”
After hours of emotional floor speeches
citing graphic descriptions and images of mishandled abortions and references
to the videos, the bill passed. A bill was also passed tightening restrictions
on abortion doctors who violate infant protection laws in a 248-177 vote.
Planned Parenthood’s VP of
communication responded: “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.”
Republicans say that Planned
Parenthood’s funding will be reallocated to the thousands of
government-supported health centers, which would treat the women who had previously
gone to Planned Parenthood. Democrats, however, say that these clinics already
have too many patients to treat, and this bill will result in reduced women’s
health care.
Planned Parenthood currently receives $450 million a year in federal payments, mostly in the form of Medicaid support for low-income patients. This is just 1/3 of the organization annual budget of $1.3 billion to support its 700 clinics that provide STD testing, contraceptives, and abortions. None of the federal funds can be used for abortions.
Personally, I do not agree with this
bill, as Planned Parenthood provides both sexual and reproductive health care
and education for millions nationwide, including STD tests, cervical and breast
cancer treatments, and abortions, playing a very important role in the health
of many women. I also feel that this bill would undercut a woman’s right to
choose.
What do you think? Do you think that
this issue is worth a government shutdown? If enacted, how would it affect
women’s health care? How do you think this issue will impact the upcoming
presidential election?
Sources:
http://time.com/4040582/house-vote-defund-planned-parenthood/
http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/254181-house-votes-to-freeze-funding-for-planned-parenthood
8 comments:
This issue doesn't really deserve a government shut down, and the show vote proceeding this threat to our legislative branch's effectiveness was childish and futile. The illegal actions of Planned Parenthood within the confines of that clinic was terrible, it's true. However, this situation needs to be investigated in full before any actions punishing planned parenthood are put into effect. It needs to be determined whether or not this was an isolated incident. The great help that Planned Parenthood provides lower income women cannot be dismissed, and these women shouldn't be punished for the actions of one morally dubious clinic.
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren was very outspoken on the subject of the government response to Planned Parenthood; she criticized members of Congress who spoke in favor of defunding the organization. Naturally, GOP candidates are starkly pitted against abortion at the moment: “Abortion would be... as much of a scourge in our past as slavery is” (Samakow/Gray). Interestingly enough, this quote of Mike Huckabee’s was endorsed by a large portion of the Republican party. This is slightly concerning, in my opinion, seeing as the nature of slavery is so different from that of abortion. However, much of the terrible video which the candidates are gauging their knowledge of Planned Parenthood’s activities off of was highly edited to portray the organization as an atrocity, which Senator Warren pointed out in her speech. Therefore, their actual knowledge of the facts is not certain. Presidential candidate, Carly Fiorina, even went so far as to lie about the content of the “shocking footage.” Sarah Kliff of Vox News watched all 12 hours of this video, and the footage depicting “a fully formed fetus on the table, its heart beating, its legs kicking, while someone says we have to keep it alive to harvest its brain,” simply does not exist, despite the claim made by Fiorina in the Republican Debate (Samakow/Gray). Though I do not want to bring too many of my personal feelings into my post, I leave the forum with a few questions: Do you think that the Republican candidates understand what it means to be pro-life? Do they understand that many of the women who are seeking abortions are doing so because their lives could be put at risk during childbirth, not to mention the lives of their unborn children? Do they understand that the lives of many of these unborn children would otherwise be miserable; that they could be born into the world(s) of poverty, drugs and alcohol, crime, and abuse? Do they understand who could really be hurt by the repercussions of criminalizing abortion?
Source (Video): http://time.com/3983266/elizabeth-warren-planned-parenthood-speech/
Source (Quotes): http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/things-gop-debate-gets-wrong-about-abortion-planned-parenthood_55fac28ae4b08820d9177e98
I believe that this issue shouldn't shutdown the government even though it provides women with healthcare. Planned Parenthood is one of many clinics that offer healthcare to women, so by letting the money from Planned Parenthood be dished out to other clinics will allow women to get this healthcare even if they have to move to different healthcare providers. Even if the allegations are true about Planned Parenthood and the fetus scandal, I believe that this bill will only be a small dent in women's healthcare. Like I said before, this bill will only have a small impact on women's health since Planned Parenthood was a big women's healthcare provider, yet the are still numerous ones still in business that women can turn to. This issue will have big impact on the upcoming election because data shows that women are more likely to vote than men, which means that the majority of the people watching the debates will be women. In addition, this issue could either help or ruin a presidential candidate's campaign depending on how the candidate views and address the issue.
I believe passing this bill was a terrible idea. The actions of the employees involved in this scandal should not affect the organization as a whole. I do think that the issue should be looked into, however, I am sure that not all planned parenthood's are illegally profiting from the organizations. It is not fair to punish everyone for the actions of a few. I disagree with Melo's comment above about how the bill will be a small dent in women's healthcare. Last year alone planned parenthood recieved $528 million. 42% of that money was spent on STI's and STD's, and 34% of it was spent on contraception. Millions of people benefit from this. Not only are STD's being treated but that means that they are working to prevent the spread of them, therefore, saving millions of people. In regards to contraception, so many people are just not ready to have a child. Providing them with contraception prevents people from being poor parents and causing the child physical and mental distress. Also, regardless if the Republicans believe in abortion or not, there personal beliefs should not impact the lives of millions. Everyone is entitled to do whatever they feel is best for their own bodies. Raswaglia brought up the question of whether or not the republicans realize that some children are being put at risk if born into certain families that cannot care for them. Many children are being spared living a dreadful life if their parents cannot take care of them. Think about it, if a family wants an abortion then that means they do not want the child and cannot properly take care of that child. Why would you force that child upon the family then? It will be the child who suffers.
Source:http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/08/05/429641062/fact-check-how-does-planned-parenthood-spend-that-government-money
I agree with Ally and believe that Planned Parenthood shouldn’t be defunded. Planned Parenthood is an important organization that affects millions through preventive health care. As the president of Planned Parenthood, Cecile Richards, states, “In their obsession with attacking women’s access to health care, extreme members of Congress would take basic health care away from people who need it most--those who are struggling to get by, who rely on Medicaid or have no health insurance, and those who live in areas with few medical options.” In addition, estimates display a long-term negative effect if this act was to be passed. Defunding Planned Parenthood, which serves around 2.6 million women, would lead to more unplanned births as patients lose access to birth control. This would eventually lead to greater usage of the federal budget in the future through attempts to amend these actions. Though the Republicans votes were simply symbolic as the Democrats guarantee a veto, it will greatly affect the outcome of the presidential election. The views of presidential candidates could greatly influence public opinion, and, specifically, sway the votes of many female voters. For example, Carly Fiorina’s avid support of Planned Parenthood and opposition to the horrific videos could help her gain support of many women across the nation. I agree that this issue is not worthy of a government shutdown and the parties should be able to negotiate a deal that favors both parties instead of succumbing to gridlock and prolonging the amount of time spent on this subject. If the bill is not passed, the Republicans should accept that processes of government and the importance of checks and balances. They shouldn’t be able to halt the government when they don’t get their way.
Sources: http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/254181-house-votes-to-freeze-funding-for-planned-parenthood
http://www.wsj.com/articles/gop-tensions-grow-over-planned-parenthood-funding-1442446565
The comment that Ally made, stating that this legislation is not likely to be in acted and is more of a symbolic action, rings very true to me. I agree that the cut off of government funding for planned parenthood is not likely to move past the beginning stages due to the blocks put in place by the presidential veto and other parties, however, the passing of this legislation shows the dangers to democracy present in our government. I of course do not believe that this issue is worthy of a government shut down, however, i believe it holds the backing to cause one. With the parties so divided on this issue tensions will only increase, and there is no doubt that a gridlock will form in the legislation process. I believe if this bill WERE to be enacted, the consequences to women's healthcare would be more severe than anticipated. Although sexual reproductive services and women's healthcare is accessible at other clinics and medical centers, they are not as cost efficient as planned parenthood is and not as easily accessible. Many republicans see that services such as STD testing and cancer screenings are available at alternate healthcare providers, but many do not recognize the cost that these institutions can uphold. When it comes to the presidential election, this legislation will definitely have some sort of impact on the voting results. This issue is gender heavy, which means women who do not typically agree with democratic views will likely side with democratic candidates in order to preserve their rights as females. Despite their party alignments, their rights as women will serve as more of a motivation to vote against supporters.
The affect on women's health care would be astronomical. Planned Parenthood has gotten a really terrible reputation as just some abortion clinic. Even a quick glance at the PP website explains what they do: "Planned Parenthood health centers focus on prevention: 80 percent of our clients receive services to prevent unintended pregnancy" This means condoms, birth control, and other preventatives of pregnancy. By shutting down Planned Parenthood, all conservatives do is make sure more pregnancies happen. Not only this, but Planned Parenthood is not just about contraception; "Planned Parenthood provides nearly 400,000 Pap tests and nearly 500,000 breast exams each year, critical services in detecting cancer. Planned Parenthood provides nearly 4.5 million tests and treatments for sexually transmitted infections, including 700,00 HIV tests." Regardless of whether or not you morally agree with abortion, services that can help identify breast cancer early on along with STD prevention are good services. It's not fair to condemn Planned Parenthood because you disagree with one thing they do. One absolutely astounding thing to me is this fact: "Three percent of all Planned Parenthood health services are abortion services." That's 3% compared to all the good work they do, Conservatives are stopping funding because they disagree with one thing that happens in the clinic. Regardless of how one feels on the pro-life/pro-choice feud, this whole fiasco does not deserve a shut down. The bill deserves to be thrown in the trash, simply put. The government shutting down over whether a clinic that provides "2.7 million women and men in the United States... for trusted health care services and information" should continue to run is ridiculous. I think many of the people affected with this decision will vote for a more liberal candidate. (Not to mention, the tapes Carly Fiorna and other Republicans are so mad about were faked)
http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/04/opinions/louis-planned-parenthood/
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/who-we-are/planned-parenthood-at-a-glance
I do not believe that this bill deserves a government shut down; it is a very important issue. The fact that illegal activity was present in the Planned Parenthood organization is awful, but completely cutting off government funding is much too drastic considering all of the services that they provide millions of Americans per year. Many people overlook the fact that Planned Parenthood does other things, rather than just performing abortions. Plus, the instances of illegal activity and talk are not what is the everyday of the organization. Planned Parenthood provides reproductive and women's health care that is open to everyone, even those who cannot full afford it. This is essential to the health of millions of Americans who cannot obtain proper treatment otherwise. Taking away the opportunity for many people to get early diagnosis for cancer from mammograms, or other very crucial screenings, is wrong. The people who tend to dislike Planned Parenthood have this opinion because they only look at the bad, but in reality this organization can help save so many lives with all of the cancer screenings and other treatments that they offer. The effects of this bill in the presidential campaigns are huge because this is such a heavily discussed topic. Most of the Republican candidates do not support Planned Parenthood, which could make them lose appeal in the minds of many voters (while obviously making them seem better to others). Carly Fiorina's support of the organization may help her gain popularity for many women voters because the role of gender in the argument plays a large role. Overall, this is such a widely debated topic that a candidate's stance may make or break many voters' final decisions.
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