The Women Speak Out bus tour made its first stops today in Iowa in an effort to raise grassroots support for encouraging the Senate to follow the House’s lead in revoking taxpayer funding for the Planned Parenthood abortion business.
The Susan B. Anthony List-sponsored 13-district “Women Speak Out: Defund Planned Parenthood” bus tour is led by former Colorado Rep. Marilyn Musgrave and Live Action President Lila Rose, who recently exposed how some Planned Parenthood centers were willing to help aid sex traffickers who wanted abortions for the girls they claimed to have victimized.
The four-day tour will feature press conferences with local pro-life leaders in 11 cities throughout Iowa, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Rhode Island and New Hampshire thanking members who voted for Rep. Mike Pence’s amendment defund Planned Parenthood in the long-term Continuing Resolution the House passed. The Senate is scheduled to vote on the bill this week and its own version that doesn’t fund Planned Parenthood — and neither measure is expected to get the 60 votes needed to get past a filibuster.
“Planned Parenthood is a billion dollar a year organization. Their coffers are so filled, they can afford to send employees out here, to protests us and our witness. To the men and women and families here—that are here on their own time, out of the goodness of their hearts—I sincerely thank you,” Mugrave said. “Planned Parenthood is a scandal-plagued abortion organization that must be held accountable for abusing innocent young victims while receiving hundreds of millions in federal dollars each year.”
She added: “The fact that Planned Parenthood was caught aiding and abetting sex traffickers proves that it is not safe for women and young girls. What goes on in offices and clinics of Planned Parenthood, as Live Action’s videos show, is both saddening and shocking. That it has often been done using taxpayer dollars is indefensible. “What has Planned Parenthood’s response been? Only to deny the legitimacy of the videos, they truly ignore the needs of women and girls.”
“Planned Parenthood must be defunded in the Continuing Resolution – this is a non-negotiable. Congress has the power to defund Planned Parenthood NOW and that’s why we’re here,” she concluded.
The tour stopped in Des Moines, Iowa this morning to criticize Rep. Leonard Boswell for voting against the Pence amendment. Rose and Musgrave were joined by Jenifer Bowen of Iowa Right to Life, Tamara Scott of Iowa’s Concerned Women for America, and Maggie Dewitte of Iowans for Life.
“Congress can no longer hide behind the lie that Planned Parenthood puts women first, especially not when they’ve been shown repeatedly willing to aid in the sexual exploitation of young girls,” Rose added. “A vote to funnel federal dollars into this corrupt organization is a vote to make taxpayers accomplices in the exploitation of women and at a time when our country is broke. We commend our Representatives who have taken the first step by voting to strip Planned Parenthood of its taxpayer funds, and implore that they hold the line in negotiations with the Senate.”
The bus tour then continued to Davenport, Iowa to complain about Rep. Bruce Braley not voting to defund Planned Parenthood. Luana Stohltenberg and Lynelle Stalhut, two local pro-life advocates, joined Rose and Musgrave.
Later today the tour will go to Geneva, Illinois to thank Reps. Randy Hultgren and Joe Walsh for standing with women and voting to Defund Planned Parenthood. Kelly Gorsky of the Waterleaf Women’s Center, Ann Scheidler of the Pro-Life Action League and Susan Lisowski of Woman’s Choice Services will join pro-life advocates at that stop.
The tour heads to Pennsylvania and Ohio on Tuesday and then to Pennsylvania and New York the next day before concluding in Rhode Island and New Hampshire on Thursday. The tour is a part of a larger $200,000 grassroots campaign including radio and television ads thanking members for their votes to defund Planned Parenthood.
Click here for information on where and when the pro-life bus tour will arrive at various cities.
ACTION: Contact your senators at https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm and urge them to vote for HR 1 and to de-fund Planned Paernthood. Urge them to oppose the Senate alternative that does not de-fund Planned Parenthood.
