Democrats Defeat Senate Bill to De-Fund Planned Parenthood After It Sells Aborted Baby Parts

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Sep 24, 2015   |   2:31PM   |   Washington, DC

Senate Democrats voted to defeat a government funding bill that would de-fund the Planned Parenthood abortion business after it was caught in a series of 10 videos selling aborted babies and their body parts.

The Senate voted 52 to 47 against ending debate on the government funding bill. Eight Republicans voted against cloture on the Senate funding bill that would de-fund Planned Parenthood: Sens. Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), Susan Collins (Maine), Tom Cotton (Ark.), Dean Heller (Nev.) Mark Kirk (Ill.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Rand Paul (Ky.) and Ben Sasse (Neb.) all voted against it while Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) was the only Democrat supportive.

Senator John Cornyn, the number two Republican, blasted Democrats for their allegiance to Planned Parenthood.

“Earlier this week I outlined how the Democrats, while earlier calling for regular order in this Chamber, have delivered on their promise to block legislation from moving forward that would fund vital parts of our government, like the men and women in uniform who defend us,” he said. “Because they’ve chosen to filibuster all of these Appropriations bills, we find ourselves with unneeded and unnecessary drama when it comes to funding the federal government.”

Cornyn added: “This fight – the fight for the sanctity of life that Pope Francis talked about this morning – that fight is far from over. We’re going to continue the four different investigations of Planned Parenthood’s practices and pursue legislation that would protect the fundamental right to life of the unborn. Protecting the sanctity of life is an ongoing mission, and it does not end with this one vote.”

Afterwards, pro-life members of the Senate said the vote puts Democrats on record supporting an abortion company that profits not only from abortions but from selling aborted babies.

“Not one penny of federal funding should go toward abortions and the organizations that provide them, like Planned Parenthood,” said Louisiana Republican Sen. David Vitter. “Today, Senate Democrats showed their true colors as they placed providing funding for Planned Parenthood’s unconscionable actions ahead of funding the federal government.”

The House of Representatives voted last week for legislation that would temporarily de-fund Planned Parenthood while an investigation continues into it s sale of aborted babies and their body parts. The bill would freeze Planned Parenthood funding for one year while Congress conducts an investigation into its sales of aborted babies.

The Senate today included the language from that bill into its legislation to temporarily fund the federal government. Had the bill passed, pro-abortion President Barack Obama has promised to veto the measure.

SIGN THE PETITION! Congress Must De-Fund Planned Parenthood Immediately

“The Administration strongly opposes Senate passage of the Senate amendment to H.J.Res. 61, making continuing appropriations for fiscal year (FY) 2016, and for other purposes, which contains highly objectionable provisions that advance a narrow ideological agenda,” the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) said before the vote. Eliminating federal funding to Planned Parenthood would “limit access” to healthcare for women, men, families and “disproportionately” affect low-income people, the OMB said.

Obama said he would only sign a government funding bill that does not include language de-fuding Planned Parenthood.

This is the second time Obama has threatened to veto the bill to de-fund Planned Parenthood as Obama has already threatened to veto the bill once before. White House spokesman Josh Earnest confirmed that Obama will veto any bill that de-funds Planned Parenthood after 10 shocking videos found that it has sold aborted babies and their body parts.

“We’ve been quite forthright about the president’s opposition to any effort to wholesale defund Planned Parenthood,” Earnest told reporters

Weeks ago, a previous Senate vote on de-funding Planned Parenthood saw Senate Democrats filibuster and block legislation to revoke $550 million in taxpayer funding.

A new Congressional report finds that de-funding the Planned Parenthood abortion business — even for one year — would save “several thousand” unborn babies from the nightmare of abortion. The report also finds de-funding Planned Parenthood would save the federal government $235 million.

Before the vote, Tony Perkins of the Family research Council urged the Senate to pass the measure.

“The allegations against Planned Parenthood Federation of America are so disturbing that it behooves Congress to make every effort to protect taxpayers from having to fund the largest abortion provider in America. Planned Parenthood is being investigated for serious criminal offenses including possible violations of the federal ban on partial-birth abortion and the killing of babies born alive,” he said. “We are in full support of this moratorium during ongoing investigations, and are grateful that Senate Leadership has responded to our urging to attach a defunding or moratorium measure to must-pass legislation.”

In 2011, House members voted 241-185 for a resolution that would prohibit the Planned Parenthood abortion business from qualifying for family planning funds. The vote saw almost all Republicans supporting de-funding while Democrats generally opposed it. That was the second vote taken to de-fund the abortion giant. An earlier vote in 2011 saw the House de-funded Planned Parenthood on a 240-185 margin.

The 10th video by The Center for Medical Progress features several top-level Planned Parenthood executives discussing the organization’s secretive practices around aborted fetal parts harvesting. The video includes comments from Deborah VanDerhei, the National Director of the organization’s Consortium of Abortion Providers, describing the harvesting of fetal body parts as “donation for remuneration.”

A first hearing has exposed how Planned Parenthood is likely breaking multiple federal laws to sell aborted baby body parts.

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The expose’ videos catching Planned Parenthood officials selling the body parts of aborted babies have shocked the nation. Here is a list of all ten:

  • In the first video: Dr. Deborah Nucatola of Planned Parenthood commented on baby-crushing: “We’ve been very good at getting heart, lung, liver, because we know that, so I’m not gonna crush that part, I’m gonna basically crush below, I’m gonna crush above, and I’m gonna see if I can get it all intact.”
  • In the second video: Planned Parenthood’s Dr. Mary Gatter joked, “I want a Lamborghini” as she negotiated the best price for baby parts.
  • In the third video: Holly O’Donnell, a former Stem Express employee who worked inside a Planned Parenthood clinic, detailed first-hand the unspeakable atrocities and how she fainted in horror over handling baby legs.
  • In the fourth video: Planned Parenthood’s Dr. Savita Ginde stated, “We don’t want to do just a flat-fee (per baby) of like, $200. A per-item thing works a little better, just because we can see how much we can get out of it.” She also laughed while looking at a plate of fetal kidneys that were “good to go.”
  • In the fifth video: Melissa Farrell of Planned Parenthood-Gulf Coast in Houston boasted of Planned Parenthood’s skill in obtaining “intact fetal cadavers” and how her “research” department “contributes so much to the bottom line of our organization here, you know we’re one of the largest affiliates, our Research Department is the largest in the United States.”
  • In the sixth video: Holly O’Donnell described technicians taking fetal parts without patient consent: “There were times when they would just take what they wanted. And these mothers don’t know. And there’s no way they would know.”
  • In the seventh and perhaps most disturbing video: Holly O’Donnell described the harvesting, or “procurement,” of organs from a nearly intact late-term fetus aborted at Planned Parenthood Mar Monte’s Alameda clinic in San Jose, CA. “‘You want to see something kind of cool,’” O’Donnell says her supervisor asked her. “And she just taps the heart, and it starts beating. And I’m sitting here and I’m looking at this fetus, and its heart is beating, and I don’t know what to think.”
  • In the eighth video: StemExpress CEO Cate Dyer admits Planned Parenthood sells “a lot of” fully intact aborted babies.
  • The ninth video: catches a Planned Parenthood medical director discussing how the abortion company sells fully intact aborted babies — including one who “just fell out” of the womb.
  • The 10th video: catches the nation’s biggest abortion business selling specific body parts — including the heart, eyes and “gonads” of unborn babies.The video also shows the shocking ways in which Planned Parenthood officials admit that they are breaking federal law by selling aborted baby body parts for profit.

SIGN THE PETITION! Congress Must Investigate Planned Parenthood for Selling Aborted Baby Parts

So far, 12 states have responded to the Planned Parenthood videos and launched investigations into their abortion and organ harvesting business including South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, Massachusetts, KansasMissouri, Arizona, Indiana, Ohio, Georgia, Texas and Louisiana. The district attorney in Houston Texas is also investigating after the Houston-based Planned Parenthood abortion facility was caught selling aborted babies.

Congress has expanded its investigation into the Planned Parenthood abortion business and five states have revoked taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood’s abortion business, including Utah, Arkansas, Alabama, New Hampshire and Louisiana and Iowa’s governor has ordered a review of Planned Parenthood funding.

The full, unedited videos have confirmed that revelations that some aborted baby remains sold by Planned Parenthood go to biotech companies for the purpose of creating “humanized” mice. Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood has been exposed as having sold body parts from aborted babies for as much as 15 years.

The federal law that technically prohibits the sale of aborted babies and their body parts was written by a pro-abortion Congressman decades ago and essentially spells out a process by which sellers of aborted baby body parts can meet certain criteria that allows the sales to be legal. That’s why a Colorado congressman has introduced legislation to totally ban the sales of aborted baby body parts.

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