U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly of Indiana touted himself as a pro-life candidate Monday even though he repeatedly has voted to fund the nation’s largest abortion chain, Planned Parenthood.
A Democrat, Donnelly is running for re-election against pro-life Republican Mike Braun in a closely watched race. During a debate Monday, Donnelly claimed he has voted to ensure no tax dollars are used for abortions, Breitbart reports.
“I’m a pro-life senator,” Donnelly said. He has made sure federal funds were never used for abortion services, he said, but it’s also important “for our moms, for our sisters, for our wives and our daughters” to have exceptions for rape, incest and saving a mother’s life.
“It’s the family’s decision with their pastor” when the mother’s life is threatened, Donnelly said.
In August, however, Donnelly voted against an amendment that would have defunded Planned Parenthood, which aborts more than 320,000 unborn babies every year. He also voted against a bill that would have replaced Obamacare and defunded Planned Parenthood in 2017.
Planned Parenthood claims the $500 million in tax money it receives annually do not fund abortions, but money is fungible and those tax dollars help prop up its massive abortion business.
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony List, said Donnelly “betrayed” his Indiana constituents by voting to fund the abortion chain.
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“Democrat Senators in states won by President Trump cannot get away with presenting themselves as moderates any longer …” she said. “They have betrayed their constituents and will be held accountable at the ballot box.”
According to the pro-life group:
- Joe Donnelly cast a deciding vote for Obamacare, which uses your tax dollars to pay for health care plans that cover abortion on-demand.
- Joe Donnelly voted for taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood, which performs over 320,000 abortions every year.
- Joe Donnelly voted to force states to keep funding Planned Parenthood with our tax dollars even after Congressional investigations revealed that they marketed, sold, and profited from the sale of aborted baby parts.
His overall voting record on pro-life issues is mixed. For this session, Donnelly voted pro-life just 33 percent of the time, according to the National Right to Life Committee. Most recently, he also voted against U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation.
Braun, his Republican opponent, said he is fully committed to protecting unborn babies and would support a bill that states life begins at conception.
Last week, a Fox News poll showed Donnelly with a narrow 2-point lead over Braun.
