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Ryan: GOP to ‘defund’ Planned Parenthood in Obamacare repeal

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

House Speaker Paul Ryan spoke a day after a special House panel issued a report criticizing Planned Parenthood, which provides birth control, abortions and various women’s health services, for its practices regarding providing tissue from aborted fetuses to researchers.

WASHINGTON >> House Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday that Republicans would slash federal dollars for Planned Parenthood as part of the GOP effort to repeal the health care law.

Ryan spoke a day after a special House panel issued a report criticizing the organization, which provides birth control, abortions and various women’s health services, for its practices regarding providing tissue from aborted fetuses to researchers. The Wisconsin lawmaker’s comments, while expected, were the first official word that repeal legislation would also renew the congressional assault on the group.

“The Planned Parenthood legislation would be in our (repeal) bill,” Ryan said.

Last year’s Obamacare repeal measure also contained the effort to defund the group, which receives government reimbursements from the Medicaid program for non-abortion health services to low-income women. It also receives reimbursements for contraception services from a different government account.

The defunding measure would take away roughly $400 million in Medicaid money from the group in the year after enactment, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, and would result in roughly 400,000 women losing access to care. One factor is that being enrolled in Medicaid doesn’t guarantee access to a doctor, so women denied Medicaid services from Planned Parenthood may not be able to find replacement care.

“Defunding Planned Parenthood is dangerous to people’s health, it’s unpopular, and it would leave people across the country without care,” said Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards. “They cannot afford to have basic reproductive health care attacked. Planned Parenthood has been here for 100 years and we’re going to be here for 100 more.”

President-elect Donald Trump sent mixed signals during the campaign about the 100-year-old organization. He said “millions of women are helped by Planned Parenthood,” but he also endorsed efforts to defund the group. Trump once described himself as “very pro-choice,” but now opposes abortion rights.

Cutting off Planned Parenthood from taxpayer money is a long-sought dream of social conservatives, but it’s a loser in the minds of some GOP strategists. Planned Parenthood is loathed by anti-abortion activists who are the backbone of the GOP coalition. Polls, however, show that the group is favorably viewed by a sizable majority of Americans — 59 percent in a Gallup survey last year, including more than one-third of Republicans.

The defunding effort could also complicate Obamacare repeal in the Senate, where at least one GOP member — Susan Collins of Maine — cited the defunding language in opposing the repeal effort in late 2015. Last year’s elections thinned Republican ranks in the Senate to 52, so only a handful of GOP defections are possible if the repeal measure is going to pass.

Asked Wednesday about party efforts to tie the effort to defund Planned Parenthood to Obamacare repeal, Collins said, “that’s of concern to me as well, but I don’t want to prejudge what’s in the … bill.”

Most GOP lawmakers have long opposed Planned Parenthood because many of its clinics provide abortions. Their antagonism intensified after anti-abortion activists released secretly recorded videos in 2015 showing Planned Parenthood officials discussing how they sometimes provide fetal tissue to researchers, which is legal if no profit is made.

The House GOP report issued Wednesday accused the group of violating federal laws by altering abortion procedures to obtain fetal tissue, disclosing patients’ private information to firms that procure the tissue and “a general disinterest in clinical integrity.”

Planned Parenthood has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, and did so again Wednesday. The group has strong support from Capitol Hill Democrats.

A supporter of the defunding effort said it may not have much of an effect on the number of abortions performed in the country, but that federal dollars to Planned Parenthood indirectly support abortion.

“A lot of the ongoing support in the structural finances for Planned Parenthood goes to build the buildings, the infrastructure that provides abortion,” said Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla.

73 responses to “Ryan: GOP to ‘defund’ Planned Parenthood in Obamacare repeal”

  1. allie says:

    Planned Parenthood provides major health services for women, especially lower income women. Typical Ryan to hurt women. The Republican war on the working class and on women continues. Look for them to be out in 2 years when their real agenda becomes known. Trump is done in 4 years and will fail to get much of his agenda to hurt America passed as even Republicans wake up to stop him.

    • seaborn says:

      Conservatives continue their disdain for women by limiting their health care. Why women continue being Republicans, or married to Republicans, is unfathomable.

      • d_bullfighter says:

        Disdain for women or disdain for babies? It is plainly obvious that the woman does not get hurt but the baby is killed. That is unfathomable.

        • meat says:

          Exactly, clowns like allie and seacorn can give PP their money. PP should be a non-profit, then allie and seacorn can give all they want. Tax dollars should NOT be going to PP. End ALL funding now.

    • CEI says:

      Wait a second I’m confused. Wasn’t Obamacare supposed to provide inexpensive and quality healthcare to lower income Americans via taxpayer funded subsidies? If that is the case then why do taxpayers also need to funnel $400 million to PP? It’s hard for me to believe a wildly successful and universally loved heath care plan conceived by a highly intelligent and highly competent man like Barry Hussein would fail to care for women and the working class.

    • Marauders_1959 says:

      Allie.
      Keep your knees together so we the taxpayers won’t have to continuously bail you out.

    • Allaha says:

      Darn overpopulation. Poor women multiply and produce more kids than they take care off. Free abortion gives them birth control despite their irresponsibility ( albeit it’s abominable , but better than them having children). Even as a right winger I support abortion and Planned Parenthood.

      • klastri says:

        And in walks the genius.

        • meat says:

          “overpopulation”, am I to tell my children NOT to have children? Doesn’t “free abortion gives ” “poor women” a free ticket to keep having babies which then leads to ANOTHER abortion and another and another. At what point do you, the genius as astri claims draw the line? End all Tax payer funding NOW.

    • Kahu Matu says:

      Have you ever been in a planned parenthood or are you just repeating political talking points? What “MAJOR HEALTH SERVICES” does Planned Parenthood provide for women? This is not Republicans against women, this is politicians finally taking a stand against a group known for illegal behaviors who stay in power because they give so much money to the politicians in their pockets. If they are really needed, let them stand on their own merits and business. The government should not be providing this little services masking for such a huge waste tax payer money.

  2. Keonigohan says:

    What about the cash PP gets from baby parts…that should make up for the shortfall…if PP cut out all the lavish lunches, dinners & breakfasts that was captured on video that money would more than make up the shortfall…and if they cut out BONUSES…well I could go on and on.

    • Boots says:

      Such an imagination. Yes please go on. You have just given republican propaganda which has no basis in reality. It will be funny as hell if the Donald eventually pushes single pay health care as the republicans could not come up with anything better than Obama care.

      • Keonigohan says:

        @ boots
        You again made an @zz out yourself. You need to stop getting your “info” from FAKE NEWS/MSNBC/CNN etc….this will definitely be the last time I embarrass you.
        New Video Exposes Planned Parenthood’s Illicit Baby Parts Trafficking Scheme http://www.lifenews.com/2016/07/14/new-video-exposes-planned-parenthoods-illicit-baby-parts-trafficking-scheme/#.WG8Yr8X3Rtw.twitter

      • klastri says:

        The selling baby parts thing has been debunked over and over again. Serial liars hold on to those fabrications with both hands.

        • meat says:

          Really astri, you and earhole are the true definition of a Deomcrapic puppet. The jokes on you losers as PP should lose ALL funding. Want some cheese with that whine?

        • Keonigohan says:

          KKKlastri
          You always say “has been debunked”…are you that robotic!!!
          You have absolutely no credibility.
          O/Pussilosi/Ducky Schumer/FAKE NEWS/DON LEMMON/CNN/MSNBC are your “info” centers?
          Go find that empty chair & do yourself! Dems in DISARRAY & all they got is sheeple like you…Unbelievable!

          Set up your VCR for…
          January 20th #MAGA

        • klastri says:

          Keonigohan- Again, I’m amused by the fact that you take some kind of personal credit for having Trump elected when in fact you failed miserably. None of the Hawaii electoral votes went to Trump. None of your lies here worked. Mrs. Clinton won in Hawaii by an actual landslide (not the Trump landslide you constantly lie about) so good luck taking credit for anything.

          Mr. Trump’s most recent Twitter rants are finally making at least some of his voters realize that something in his brain isn’t quite right. He’s a psychotic.

  3. yesindede1 says:

    Please read…according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, and would result in roughly 400,000 women losing access to care. One factor is that being enrolled in Medicaid doesn’t guarantee access to a doctor, so women denied Medicaid services from Planned Parenthood may not be able to find replacement care.
    The GoP and others continue their War on Women.

    • klastri says:

      I agree. And the nonstop lying about Planned Parenthood, mostly by old white men who want to subjugate and control women, is a national disgrace.

      • CEI says:

        Old white men bigotry rears it’s ugly head. How ’bout a little tolerance once in a while. Sheesh. If subjugation and control of women is your concern you need look no further than the religion of Islam. You may have heard of Islam. It’s the faith that progressives reflexively defend each time one of them indiscriminately blows up innocents.

        • klastri says:

          You certainly are good at changing subjects. This has nothing whatever to do with Islam except in your mind. You are unable to stay on subject, ever.

          This is about Republicans controlling women.

        • ryan02 says:

          I agree that the Republicans in the US are acting exactly the same way the radical Islamists would. I’m sure Planned Parenthood could never exist in a place controlled by radical Islamists either. Thank you for pointing out the similarities of these two oppressive, anti-women, bigoted groups.

        • jusris says:

          IRT ryan02: good point but the Republicans will say the difference is that they are not as radical Islamist…but just makes them feel better about what they do…#MAGA

        • DannoBoy says:

          The moral reasoning of CEI and the other Trumpettes is similar to a psychopath, “Hey, why are you blaming me just for raping that woman? It’s not like I murdered her like Jeffery Dahlmer would have. And you’re a bigot for singling me out instead of focusing on what Dahlmer did. #MAGA”

          The Trumpettes’ primitive moral reasoning is twisted.

        • wiliki says:

          Who can be tolerant of bigots that want to take away women’s rights?

        • jusris says:

          IRT wiliki: Why do WE assume that WE have the power to BOTH give and take away these rights from women? #MAGA

    • DannoBoy says:

      This is yet another example of why Republicans are great at ideological politics, but unable to provide competent pragmatic governance. Consider the facts.

      Less access to family planning and contraception, and cuts to supports for poor women and children, will result in more unwanted pregnancies and more women opting for abortions.

      Cutting funding for PP will “feel good” to ignorant conservative voters even though it will lead to more abortions.

      Right to life Republicans won’t take responsibility for such a tragic policy and will instead accuse these poor women of not “keeping their legs closed”.

      Can Republicans really make America great again by using cruel misogyny to cover-up their incompetent governance and fetal carnage? Really?

      #MAGA?

      • jusris says:

        IRT DannoBoy: “Can Republicans really make America great again by using cruel misogyny to cover-up their incompetent governance and fetal carnage?”

        Depends on WHOSE America you are referring to?

        #MAGA

        • DannoBoy says:

          Care to step out of your safe zone to elaborate?

        • jusris says:

          Republicans CAN make America Great Again because they are using THEIR vision of America as the IDEAL…It will be a failure to people like you because you are using a different IDEAL…Obama was a failure to them because it did t fit their IDEAL but it fit yours, so it was successful…They have the ball now so we play by their rules, try beating them with their own rules instead of your rules…#MAGA

        • DannoBoy says:

          Not much of an elaboration if you make no attempt to articulate the difference between these visions of IDEAL greatness. Why do you avoid even that tentative step?

          Not helpful at all (tweet).

          How will you ever be able persuade people to moderate if you won’t even acknowledge their positions?

          Without articulating the Trumpian ideals, how will anyone know if Donald has really made America great again?

          What if Trump’s actions and policies fail according his stated vision of greatness and his stated goals and ideals, but he and his followers still claim victory in the face of failure?

          Are you so wish-washy that you would grant them visions of greatness that require ignorance, deception or delusion?

  4. biggerdog says:

    Planned parenthood is not healthcare for women. It’s the progressive arm of the democratic party’s way to keep minorities in chains. Just keep aborting those unwanted socially disadvantaged babies. Healthcare for women? Ha!

    • seaborn says:

      Your truth has been replaced with imagination.

    • ryan02 says:

      The only people who are encouraging abortions are the Republicans who cut funding to poor families and make women realize they cannot afford to bring a child into this world, just to watch that child suffer. If anyone has blood on their hands, it’s the Republicans.

      • Allaha says:

        Abortion prevents unwanted welfare babies which cost us much more than the whole Planned Parenthood and they also add to the darn overpopulation. I donate to Planned Parenthood for those reasons.

        • CEI says:

          Agreed. To put it logically if you reduce the birth rate of undesirables which is the “core value” of PP, then all kinds of social ills will be reduced as well. This increases the quality of life and improves the herd. I don’t think anyone can dispute that. The mistake PP has made is lying about what they do and the ghoulish baby part junkyard they have been running on the side to increase revenue. The other problem is the reduced reproduction rate of so-called desirables which cancels out PP’s thinly veiled eugenics efforts.

        • d_bullfighter says:

          So you kill an “unwanted” baby for the purpose of cost savings and overpopulation. The baby is the innocent victim and is killed for the sake of convenience. Warped values.

    • Ronin006 says:

      “Planned Parenthood” is an odd name for an organization that slaughters more than 300,000 unborn humans annually. A more appropriate name would be “Unplanned Parenthood” or “Unwanted Parenthood.”

      • DannoBoy says:

        Saying you oppose the slaughter, but not supporting policies that reduce abortions is hypocritical. Proven ways to reduce the number of abortions is through access to quality education for girls, career opportunities for women, access to contraception and antipoverty programs.

  5. klastri says:

    The Republican hate fest against women continues. How can any woman vote for a Republican?

    Republicans are incapable of governing.

    • CEI says:

      I think PP would enjoy increased support if they were honest about the true nature of their work. It’s called eugenics and it’s goal is to prevent undesirables form reproducing in order to improve the human race. It’s no more complicated than that.

      • CriticalReader says:

        Then, why isn’t the GOP for PP?

      • klastri says:

        CEI – You are lying, as always. You cannot stay on subject or write truthfully.

        Not many things more loathsome than a serial liar.

        Lying does not help your case.

        • CEI says:

          Margaret Sanger founded PP. She’s the Mother Theresa of far left feminists and was a well known eugenicist. To paraphrase Bill O’Reilly; where am I going wrong?

        • DannoBoy says:

          After World War I, Sanger increasingly appealed to the societal need to limit births by those least able to afford children. The affluent and educated already limited their child-bearing, while the poor and ignorant lacked access to contraception and information about birth-control. Here she found an area of overlap with eugenicists.

          However, Sanger’s view of eugenics rejected race and ethnicity as determining factors. Instead she stressed limiting the number of births to live within one’s economic ability to raise and support healthy children. This would lead to a betterment of society and the human race.

          Sanger’s views put her at odds with leading American eugenicists, such as Charles Davenport who took a racist view of inherited traits. She continually rejected their approach.

          BTW, Planned Parenthood did not begin offering abortion services until years after Sanger died.

        • klastri says:

          DannoBoy – Thank you for knowing something. It’s so refreshing!

          The ignorance here (from Trump supporters, of course) is shocking and discouraging.

        • sarge22 says:

          Hey cricket. Still chirping. Trump doing a great job. Republicans are running the show. Try harder next time and better get some more education since you failed your last final exam.

      • Allaha says:

        to meat: 2 kids is enough, unless the parents are poor. Then 0 would be right, so the public does not have to support them.

      • Allaha says:

        What is wrong with eugenics. As least it is better than the opposite of eugenics which shows its face ever more in certain undesirable areas.

    • d_bullfighter says:

      Well klastri – to answer you query, why don’t you ask the 53% of white women that voted for Trump>

  6. alohacharlie says:

    As soon as the republicans defund PP I will be sure to add PP to my charity contribution list for 2017.

  7. ryan02 says:

    The odds of a woman dying in childbirth in this country are 1 in 5,000 — that is a heck of a lot of deaths. Any woman who wants an abortion should be allowed one on demand simply from a health and safety standpoint (by comparison, the odds of a police officer being murdered on the job is 1 in 33,000 — in other words, a woman is 6 times more likely to die in childbirth).

    • CEI says:

      What are the stats of fetuses “murdered on the job”.

      • DannoBoy says:

        Get off your “pro-life” high horse. The irresponsible policies you and other little Trumpettes are cheering will result in more fetal carnage, just as your opposition to sensible gun laws has led to more police being shot in the line of duty (not to mention the many more innocent men, women and children shot and killed).

        Republicans are great at spinning seductive political fairy tales, but incompetent at actual governance in the real world. Is this why progressive Blue states have to subsidize mismanaged Republican-led Red states year after year?

        #MAGA?

        • CEI says:

          Fetal carnage you say? Danno, take a deep breath and get your emotions in check. Surely the services offered by PP can be provided by Barry Care. That way women in need of “mammograms” can keep the doctor they like and the health care plan they like.

        • klastri says:

          DannoBoy – You’re right, of course. Republicans have shown again over the last 48 hours that they are incapable of governing.

          And their leader, Trump, is a dangerous psychotic who acts like a spoiled 13 year-old who never grew up.

        • meat says:

          Sounds like YOU “never grew up” astri. Comedy at its best you clowns are. Democraps are a dying breed. You clowns are insignificant already.

        • DannoBoy says:

          Another empty comment from meathead, who apparently is only capable of blowing hot air, like most of the other scared little SA Trumpettes.

    • jusris says:

      IRT ryan02: And how does this apply to men??? You do realize that men can’t get pregnant but they can be police officers, so that’s why police officers matter and women don’t, right??? #MAGA

  8. wiliki says:

    Typical of Republicans who have no respect for women’s right and health care of the poor. They like to kill two birds with one stone.

    Hope the Democrats never let it be put up for a vote.

    • DannoBoy says:

      Trumpettes are salivating to cut access to family planning and social supports for the poor, resulting in more desperate women and children, abortions and fetal carnage.

      Ignorant Red state Republicans also enjoy arming as many poor people as possible with lethal firearms, locking up as many as possible when they use these weapons, and then taxing their shrinking middle-class (and Federal taxpayers from progressive Blue states) to pay for all of the tragic carnage.

      #MAGA? (Make America Gory Again?)

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