Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski has sided with the abortion chain Planned Parenthood in the past, and abortion activists want it to stay that way.
Alaska Public Media reports pro-abortion groups are aggressively lobbying the Alaskan senator ahead of a key vote on a bill to defund Planned Parenthood and repeal parts of Obamacare. The Senate is expected to vote on the Graham-Cassidy bill next week.
Murkowski has faced sharp criticism for going against her party numerous times on the abortion issue. She has a mixed voting record on pro-life issues, and voted several times to keep nearly half a billion tax dollars flowing to the No. 1 abortion business in the nation.
Save My Care, a liberal progressive group that supports Obamacare, is airing TV commercials in Alaska lobbying Murkowski to vote against the bill and her party, according to the report.
The pro-abortion group UltraViolet also hired an airplane to fly a banner over Anchorage Thursday that targets the liberal Republican, the report states. “Murkowski don’t back down. Protect our care,” the banner will read.
“We wanted to pull out all the stops to make sure this message is heard and seen in the skies,” said Karin Roland, spokesperson for the pro-abortion group.
SIGN THE PETITION! Congress Must De-Fund Planned Parenthood Immediately
Here’s more from the report:
Planned Parenthood has activated its base, too. The Graham-Cassidy bill would defund the group, meaning Planned Parenthood clinics could not get reimbursed for the Medicaid patients they treat. Northwestern chapter CEO Chris Charbonneau said Planned Parenthood’s objections to the bill are broader than that. She wants Murkowski to know its Alaska supporters are watching and ready to “show her some love” for voting no again.
“I think the whole nation is counting on her to be sure that she does what people need this time around,” Charbonneau said.
The new legislation revokes taxpayer funding for the nation’s biggest abortion company and repeals portions of Obamacare.
This is the latest attempt to pass a reconciliation bill after previous attempts proved unsuccessful. Not every Republican supported the past legislation. Sen. John McCain of Arizona is uncommitted, and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky is already a no vote because he says it doesn’t repeal Obamacare fully — even though such bills have failed and this is the only chance to defund the Planned Parenthood abortion business during this session of Congress.
Two pro-abortion Republican members, Susan Collins of Maine and Murkowski, are likely no votes as they have been before. Republicans can afford only two no votes and still be able to break a tie with pro-life Vice President Mike Pence. That would require both McCain and one other senator to be on board from this group of four recalcitrant lawmakers.
Planned Parenthood continued to maintain its status as the largest abortion provider in the United States. The abortion group performed 328,348 abortions on unborn babies in 2015, nearly 5,000 more than the previous year, according to the report.
At the same time, it saw about 100,000 fewer patients than the previous year and about 500,000 fewer than five years ago. Contraception, which the abortion chain touts as its primary service, also dropped from 2.94 million to 2.8 million during the past two years.
Meanwhile, the abortion chain received more taxpayer funding. The report shows Planned Parenthood receiving $554.6 million, up from $553.7 million the previous year. This increase occurred while pro-abortion President Barack Obama was in power.
This pattern is consistent with its annual reports from the past several years. Abortions and taxpayer funding keep going up, while patient numbers and other services go down.
A congressional investigation into the abortion business involving its sales of aborted baby parts concluded with lawmakers recommended that Congress defund it. Planned Parenthood also has been caught in numerous scandals involving Medicaid fraud and failures to report suspected sex trafficking and sexual abuse of minors.
Earlier this year, Planned Parenthood leaders refused an offer to receive an increase in taxpayer funding if they stopped doing abortions. CEO Cecile Richards called the offer “obscene and insulting,” making it very clear that abortions – not women’s health care – are its key focus.
Planned Parenthood claims it is an essential provider of women’s health care, but its own annual reports show it continues to center its practices around aborting unborn babies.
President Donald Trump promised to sign a bill that would defund the abortion business.
Recent polls also indicate Americans support the defunding efforts. New polling found 56 percent of Americans in battleground states want Planned Parenthood defunded.
ACTION: Contact U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski.
