Amid the commotion of the Democrat sit-in to demand gun control legislation in the House of Representatives this week, Republican lawmakers used the opportunity to pass legislation limiting some Planned Parenthood funding.
Around 1AM Thursday morning, Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan held a number of procedural votes, one of which scheduled a vote on a bill that provides $1.1 billion for combating the Zika virus, but prevents Planned Parenthood from receiving any of that money to put toward birth control.
The House passed the vote an hour and a half later. Democrats oppose it, demanding more money and objecting to certain provisions including the Planned Parenthood restriction. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid’s office suggested his party would filibuster the bill in the Senate, while President Barack Obama has threatened to veto it.
Abortion advocates have repeatedly cited the Zika outbreak to advance their agenda, both presenting abortion as a solution to birth defects possibly caused by the virus and blaming pro-lifers for defunding the abortion providers that would supposedly also provide healthcare for potential Zika victims.
However, such complaints fail to account for the fact that tax dollars taken from abortion facilities are normally redirected to low-income health providers (FQHCs) that already outnumber Planned Parenthood affiliates.
Without the Zika subsidies, Planned Parenthood still receives over $528 million in taxpayer dollars every year.
