U.S. House votes down Pence Amendment intended to defund Planned Parenthood

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Comments: 19

Rep. Chris Smith

Washington D.C., Jul 24, 2009 / 02:55 pm (CNA).- The U.S. House of Representatives has voted 247-183 against an amendment that would stop federal taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood through the Title X Family Planning programs.

The amendment was sponsored by Indiana Republican Rep. Mike Pence.

"The largest abortion provider in America should not also be the largest recipient of federal funds under Title X," Rep. Pence said while introducing the amendment. His proposal would have modified H.R. 3293, the appropriations bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education.

The amendment was supported by a majority of Republicans and opposed by a majority of Democrats. According to the web site of the Clerk of the House, 20 of the 258 Democrats who voted on the Pence Amendment voted in its favor, while nine of the 172 voting Republicans opposed it.

Other pro-life amendments had been proposed but the House Rules Committee did not allow them to be considered in a full vote, LifeNews.com reports.

Prior to the vote, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) spoke in favor of the amendment.

"No child is safe in a Planned Parenthood clinic. That goes equally for the preborn child yearning to be born or the 15 year old pregnant girl being told she’s entitled to a secret abortion – an abortion procured with neither her parents’ knowledge nor consent."

Rep. Smith charged that Planned Parenthood has caused "a staggering loss of children’s lives." He said the organization "aggressively lobbies and litigates against every modest restriction" proven to "significantly reduce" abortions and has even opposed bans on partial-birth abortions.

"Planned Parenthood lobbies and litigates against prohibitions on taxpayer funding of abortion even though Planned Parenthood’s own research shows that funding bans reduce abortion by 20 to 35 percent," Rep. Smith said. "It’s time to understand the irreversible harm Planned Parenthood is doing to the children of America – born and unborn."

According to LifeNews.com, Planned Parenthood received more than $350 million in taxpayer money from federal, state, and local governments in fiscal year 2007-2008.

Comments: 19

Subscriber comments:

Published by: Dolores S.
Mt. Vernon, Iowa USA 07/30/2009 10:16 AM EST

Until voters vote on the basis of issues, rather than for their 'precious' political party, we will never defeat PP -

Published by: Mike
Boston, Mass. 07/29/2009 03:51 PM EST

At one time before such a terrible fall of catholic doctrine, practice, sexual mis-conduct etc., We could have had a powerful Catholic backlash against the marxist takeover of this country. Thank you "courageous" Bishops. Thank you Notre Dame for enabling this "alinskyite" president!
Ah... "The fruits of the council"

Published by: Christian
Frankfort/KY/USA 07/29/2009 06:51 AM EST

Restore Holy Mother Church, Traditional rites and disciplines, let's get a true Pope at the helm, and once that is done saving the lives of babies will be easy as pie...

Published by: KJA
Hunting Sta, NY 07/29/2009 06:20 AM EST

If the Catholics in this country would stop electing these pro-abortion Democrats these unborn would have a chance at life. A woman in my church, St. Hugh of Lincoln is a Eucharistic Minister, and her sister is a nun. When she told me she voted for Obama I was stunned.It is sickening.

Published by: psalm
Detroit/MI 07/28/2009 10:32 PM EST

I can't believe people still try using the 'back alley abortion' argument with all its made up statistics. That's so 1970's. Do you people think beyong the silly slogans and tired arguments in support of killing babies? Why not legalize rape since 'back alley' rapes are going to happen anyway. Why not make rape safe, legal, and rare. It's the same terrible logic that 'pro-choicers' use.

Keep this in mind. Every abortion that gets botched and takes the life of a woman AND her child is performed by someone who is 'pro-choice'.

Published by: dAVID LARSEN
scituate Mass. USA 07/27/2009 07:03 AM EST

Rate: Excellent

Dear God:The Democrats are a corrupt political party. They love ABORTION. They have no common sense on any of the other issues either. They are a dictatorship in this country. Heaven help us all. We are in the worst 4 year period in our human history. In all that I have said I pray to God that I am DEAD WRONG! I pray that the American public will not be forced to finance planned parenthood's destructive abortive practices. Amen

Published by: John
Durham, NC, USA 07/27/2009 01:26 AM EST

"How about back alley and other unsafe abortions?"

Can someone describe for me a safe abortion? It is a medical fact that every "successful" abortion has a survival rate of 50%.

Published by: Michael like St.Michael The Archangel
Milwaukee, WI/U.S.A. 07/26/2009 05:34 PM EST

Remember Roman Catholics: "In fact, all who want to live religiously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." 2 Timothy 3:1-12 or Matthew 7:7-8 Our Lord told St.Faustina "Souls will fall into Hell like Snow!" For the path to Hell is wide and many travel it.

Published by: Gabriel Austin
Los Alamos NM USA 07/25/2009 12:26 PM EST

Perhaps Mr. Meek could give some statistics on "back alley" abortions. I mean real statistics, not the bogeyman created by the Planned Unparenthood people.

Published by: Bill Sr.
Jacksonville,FL 07/25/2009 08:26 AM EST

The only mystery to any voting in regards to abortion and the other "social issues" espoused by liberal democrats and their false compassion is why so many Americans seem so blind to the evil veiled as Christian tolerance in the background.
As our dear and faithful servant Archbishop Chaput has told us, we must understand that we can be led astray by modern media and the false promises of power seeking career politicians. So the voting that really counts is done by us at election time.
Next time I don’t think Doug Kmeic and his gang of intellectuals will fool us again.

Lock step Democrats and weak Republicans, we can’t wait to get into the voting booth!

Published by: Lynn Metzger
Ridgeway, VA, USA 07/24/2009 11:29 PM EST

The sad part is that this bill means Planned Parenthood continues to get public funding for abortions using our taxpayer dollars. Notice that it died a painful death with only 65 votes needed to pass. Planned Parenthood is a deceptive organization that preys on lack of knowledge by women in order to make money. Abortion treats the unborn as property to be disposed of at will. It degrades women because they are not given the whole story of what abortion is. I dare a national news organization to do a investigative report on what happens in an abortion and show one being done with an ultrasound going. Show diagrams of partial birth abortions. Tell about Margret Sanger's eugenic policy to reduce the Black population. This is the history of Planned Parenthood. Hilter killed using her writings as backup for his Holocaust. When the unborn become property, then life is devalued. Sadly, PP gets away with it b/c nobody sees what's really going on inside the warmth of the womb as the child is torn limb from limb. Americans better wake up! If the health care bill passes without wording to take abortion out of it, you will be paying to kill off the next generation of Americans. You will see doctors being forced to do them as a basic right of "health care." America is no longer the "home of the free"..as least not for the unborn and the elderly and the sick.

Published by: Jim
Scottsdale/Az/usa 07/24/2009 09:09 PM EST

Funny how this wasn't done when Republicans controlled Congress and we had a Republican President. It's as if this is just a political strategy. Oh yeah, the Republicans approved taxpayer money to ACORN too, when they were in charge. Guess it wasn't important then.

Published by: Mike Hargadon
Woodstock, MD 07/24/2009 08:41 PM EST

TJP: You just used this evidence against yourself. The 20 Democrats that voted for this amendment can certainly be "Catholic", and the 7% of GOP members who voted against the Amendment would be asked to repent, if we had any Bishops with testosterone!

Published by: Robert Matzinger
Taylor/Michigan/USA 07/24/2009 08:21 PM EST

This is an issue where we all need to remember which way our represenatives voted! Which ones voted to prohibit funding abortions - and whaich ones voted to allow it to continue! Andc remember these people at the ballot box!

Published by: Dan Deeny
Kirksville, MO, USA 07/24/2009 07:32 PM EST

How did the members of the Black Caucus vote on this amendment? And what was the Catholic vote?

Published by: Tex
Dallas 07/24/2009 06:45 PM EST

Planned Parenthood has also been caught providing abortions to young girls brought below the age of consent brought in by their adult and middle-age boyfriends for abortions. It is clearly a case of statutory rape or pedophilia and planned parenthood looks the other way and doesn't report the crime. Doesn't want to threaten their ability to do abortions and doesn't want to forego the money from that abortion. The Democrats always support everything that is immoral. The so-called hate crimes bill they are trying to pass includes all the "philias" as protected classes, including pedophilia and bestiality. If the bill passes, anyone who says these things are wrong could be subject to prosecution for a so-called "hate" crime. But the bill doesn't protect the military from hate crimes by the far left who bomb their recruiting centers. It doesn't protect Christians from hate crimes by the radical gay lobby, which we saw in response to Prop 8 in California. In fact, the Dems REFUSED to add these groups to the protected groups when the republicans tried to add them. So, why do Democrats always side with the perverted, evil, underbelly of society and work against the majority of the American people who hold traditional values?

Published by: Mary K.
Chicago, Il USA 07/24/2009 05:42 PM EST

I would like the names of those who opposed the bill posted somewhere for all to see. Everyone needs to know the accessories to the murder of innocent humans, and vote them out of office.

Published by: Stephen Meek
Leavenworth, KS, USA 07/24/2009 04:53 PM EST

Rate: Regular

"....funding bans reduce abortion ...."
Medically safe abortions, I assume. How about back alley and other unsafe abortions?

Published by: TJP
Gainesville, FL 07/24/2009 04:05 PM EST

Further justification that one cannot be a Catholic in union with the Church and a voting Democrat:

Only Seven (7%) percent of the House Democrats voted in favor of the Pence Amendment while only five (5%) percent of the House Republicans voted against it.

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