Under attack: Planned Parenthood fight hits Congress
Politics
Under attack: Planned Parenthood fight hits Congress
Reproductive health service Planned Parenthood, under attack by anti-abortionists posting hidden-camera videos online, will be the focus of a partisan showdown Monday in the U.S. Senate, with any wider influence on voters from the charge still unclear. Congressional Republicans are trying to cut off Planned Parenthood’s federal funding. The effort followed the release of videos by the Center for Medical Progress, an anti-abortion group, that have reinvigorated America’s abortion debate as the 2016 presidential campaign shifts into high gear. The Senate plans to hold a procedural vote on a Republican proposal to cut off the funds. Democrats are expected to block it, extending the confrontation.
This is about women’s health.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
Conservatives have long targeted Planned Parenthood, which provides health services. Planned Parenthood has hundreds of family planning and reproductive health centers nationwide. It gets up to $500 million per year in Medicaid contributions and up to $60 million in federal funds for family planning services. However, millions of women, many young and single, rely on Planned Parenthood for health care beyond abortions and family planning, including breast and cervical cancer screenings.
