Defunding Planned Parenthood
The battle to defund Planned Parenthood began early in the new Congress, starting with Rep. Mike Pence’s pro-life leadership. Pence introduced H.R. 217, the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act, which would completely strip all abortion providers of federal taxpayer dollars.
Without a pro-life Senate or White House however, H.R. 217 has little chance of becoming law. Rather, Rep. Pence is laying the groundwork for 2012, sending a message that the pro-life Congress expects nothing less from a pro-life president.
The battle to defund Planned Parenthood moved onto the budget debate, after explosive videos from Live Action, led by Lila Rose, caught Planned Parenthood aiding and abetting in the alleged sex trafficking of minors. These videos proved what pro-lifers have asserted for decades: Planned Parenthood harms women and children. SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser called on Planned Parenthood to publicly answer the questions raised by the shocking videos, questions which were never answered.
Together with a coalition of national and state pro-life groups, the SBA List launched a grassroots campaign and online action center at ExposePlannedParenthood.com. This included a nationwide “For a Time Such as This” webcast and “Vigils for Victims,” held at Planned Parenthoods across the county.
Together with pro-life congressional leaders and the Pro-Life Women’s Caucus, Live Action and the SBA List held a press conference on Capitol Hill exposing Planned Parenthood and demanding that they be completely cut off from taxpayer dollars. Speakers and attendees included Rep. Mike Pence, Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH), Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC), Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle (R-NY), Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD), Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA), Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL), and Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-KS).
The so-called Pence Amendment, which would completely defund Planned Parenthood through the end of the fiscal year, was added to the budget bill in February and passed through the House. The SBA List launched an ad campaign defending the brave pro-life members who voted to defund Planned Parenthood in the budget.
Over 1 million pro-life activists across the country flooded congressional offices on Capitol Hill with calls, messages, faxes, and letters calling for the complete defunding of Planned Parenthood. The SBA List hit the road on the “Women Speak Out” Bus Tour, traveling across Iowa, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and New Jersey. They supported members of Congress who voted to strip Planned Parenthood of taxpayer funding and pressured those who did not.
Radio and TV ads featuring former Planned Parenthood clinic director Abby Johnson were launched across Washington, D.C. Abby exposed the Planned Parenthood business model as one centered around abortion, not women’s health.
The SBA List also contacted the pro-life presidential hopefuls in the race at the time, several of whom demanded the full defunding of Planned Parenthood. This included Gov. Haley Barbour, Gov. Mike Huckabee, Gov. Sarah Palin, Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Rep. Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Speaker Newt Gingrich, Gov. Mitt Romney, and Sen. Rick Santorum.
Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), the lead pro-life woman in the Senate, made clear in a Skype interview with Marjorie Dannenfelser that American taxpayers should not be forced to support a corrupt and dishonest organization like Planned Parenthood. Her plea to the Senate came the same day that the SBA List ran a newspaper ad buy in the The Washington Examiner, Politico, Roll Call, The Hill, and The Washington Post Express highlighting Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger’s roots in the eugenics movement.
In the end, despite tremendous leadership from pro-life leaders Rep. Mike Pence and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), President Obama and his pro-abortion allies protected their most important political ally – Planned Parenthood. Without a pro-life Senate and White House, the complete defunding of Planned Parenthood was not yet possible. However, the groundwork has been laid for 2012, when pro-lifers hope to take back the government and cut off the flow of taxpayer dollars pockets to Planned Parenthood once and for all. The House was also able to secure the Dornan amendment, which saves thousands of lives each year by forbidding taxpayer-funded abortions in Washington, D.C.
Perhaps the biggest and most important outcome of the battle to defund Planned Parenthood at the federal level is the groundswell of support at the state level. Already, eight states have defunded Planned Parenthood of more than $60,000,000. This fight will continue, as many states were already out of session by the time the budget debate was over at the federal level. Visit our State-by-State Scoreboard for the latest updates on what the states are doing to get the taxpayers out of Planned Parenthood’s scandal-ridden, abortion-centered operations.
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