Obama Defends Planned Parenthood Funding at Pro-Abortion Dinner

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Nov 11, 2011   |   11:45AM   |   Washington, DC

President Barack Obama and his administration have close relationships with leading pro-abortion organizations, so it is no surprise that he defended taxpayer funding of the Planned Parenthood abortion business during a speech at a pro-abortion group’s dinner banquet Wednesday night.

Obama addressed more than 2,000 activists at the National Women’s Law Center Annual Awards Dinner, where he bashed congressional Republicans for their efforts to deny federal funding to the Planned Parenthood abortion business, which does more abortions than any other organization in the United States:

“Instead of figuring out how to put more Americans back to work, they’ve been trying to figure out how to take away preventive care that is covered under the Affordable Care Act.

Instead of making life easier for women in this country, they want to let insurance companies go back to charging higher prices just because you’re a woman.

Instead of working to boost our economy, they’re out there spending time trying to defund Planned Parenthood and prevent millions of women from getting basic health care that they desperately need — pap smears and breast exams.”

Last month, the House approved legislation, the Protect Life Act, to stop abortion funding in Obamacare. Senate Democrats are not expected to approve the bill. Members voted 251-172 for the pro-life legislation, with 236 Republicans and 15 Democrats supporting the bill and 170 Democrats and two Republicans voting against it.

H.R. 358, Protect Life Act, makes it clear that no funds authorized or appropriated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), including tax credits and cost-sharing reductions, may be used to pay for abortion or abortion coverage. It specifies that individual people or state or local governments must purchase a separate elective abortion rider or insurance coverage that includes elective abortion but only as long as that is done with private funds and not monies authorized by Obamacare.

In February, the House voted overwhelmingly to scrap funding for the Planned Parenthood abortion business and ensure it can’t receive any federal funds through any departments or programs. House members approved the Pence amendment on a 240-185 vote with 10 Democrats joining most Republicans to support de-funding the abortion business. Another 7 Republicans sided with almost all of the pro-abortion Democrats in the lower chamber in voting for the pro-abortion organization to receive taxpayer funds.

The Senate eventually rejected, on a 44-56 vote, the House-approved long-term budget bill that contains the Pence Amendment de-funding the Planned Parenthood abortion business.