Senators Ask Democrats for Amendment Revoking Abortion Center Funding 
Email this article
Printer friendly page
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
November 12, 2007
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Several members of the Senate sent a bill to Democratic leaders last week urging them to accept an amendment to a federal spending bill revoking taxpayer funding for abortion businesses. The lawmakers want Congress to deny hundreds of millions for Planned Parenthood and abortion centers through the family planning program.
Led by Republican Sens. Sam Brownback of Kansas and David Vitter of Louisiana, they sent a letter to Senator Tom Harkin, a pro-abortion Iowa Democrat who serves as the chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations.
The letter also went to pro-abortion Wisconsin Rep. David Obey, a Democrat who heads the House Appropriations Committee.
The Senate already defeated an amendment Vitter sponsored last month on the Title X program, but the lawmakers say “we believe recent findings warrant such a suspension pending further investigation.”
They say Planned Parenthood, which receives more than $300 million in taxpayer funding each year, should lose its federal funding because of the charges a Kansas county attorney has filed against one of its abortion centers there.
Planned Parenthood is accused of 107 counts of performing illegal late-term abortions in violation of state law. It is also accused of falsifying documents and failing to comply with medical reporting requirements.
“Unfortunately this is just one example of a troubling trend. Too often we hear about negligent medical practice or inadequate reporting from abortion clinics that lack sufficient oversight,” the letter says. “One of the many reasons to withhold federal funding from groups that promote abortion are these troubling accusations of negligent medical practice.”
The letter adds that while the Vitter amendment was not adopted “we believe an amendment to that effect should be reconsidered in the future given this troubling evidence of wrongdoing and neglectful medical practice.”
“We should not use tax dollars to subsidize abortion clinics – particularly when there are serious concerns regarding their compliance with state law and medical standards,” it concludes.
Other members signing the letter include pro-life Republican Sens. Jim Bunning of Kentucky, John Barrasso and Mike Enzi of Wyoming, Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina, Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, James Inhofe of Oklahoma, Jon Kyl of Arizona, Trent Lott of Mississippi, Mel Martinez of Florida, Pat Roberts of Kansas and June Thune of South Dakota.
