Planned Parenthood has always been under debate but has become even more of a heated topic within the last year. On Sept. 18, 2015, in a 241-187 vote, the House of Representatives voted to defund Planned Parenthood for the next year. However, the White House has promised to veto this action so there is very little chance of it being enacted.
Republicans are opposed to Planned Parenthood and its use of federal funds due to videos that surfaced of officials of Planned Parenthood talking about how they used aborted fetus tissue for medical research. Planned Parenthood obtained the tissue legally and everything was done legitimately. Republicans have long been against the practicing of abortions which is why they say they oppose Planned Parenthood, but the reality is that very little of the funding goes towards abortions. Most of the funding goes toward health care like cancer screening, contraceptives, and STD testing.
The bill will remove the funding from Planned Parenthood for one year and shift it to community health centers, which Republicans claim would then help the people who would normally use Planned Parenthood. The flaws in this plan, which have been pointed out by Democrats, are that the clinics already are overworked and understaffed, and the new funding won't improve that as well as the fact that these clinics are often reluctant to treat women that need assistance.
As stated by Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif, "Its real intent is to further undermine women's right to choose."
