Marsha Blackburn, Diane Black Offer Dueling Bills To Defund Planned Parenthood

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House Republicans are so eager to strip federal family planning funds from Planned Parenthood that two of them have introduced identical bills to do so in the first days of the new Congress.

Tennessee Reps. Marsha Blackburn (R) and Diane Black (R) separately reintroduced a bill during the first two days of the 2013 legislative session that would prohibit Title X family planning grants from being awarded to any organization that performs abortions. The bill, first introduced by former Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) in the 112th Congress, primarily targets Planned Parenthood, which receives about $340 million a year in Title X funds for non-abortion health and family planning services. Both bills amend Pence's original bill to include exceptions for rape, incest and to protect the life of the mother.

Blackburn is Vice Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the committee with jurisdiction over the issue. Since she filed and circulated her bill on Thursday, the first day of the legislative session, more than a half-dozen Republicans have signed on as cosponsors and numerous anti-abortion groups have endorsed it.

Blackburn declared the bill a priority for her committee and vowed to carry on Pence's agenda. “Congressman Pence has been a champion in the fight to protect innocent human life and I hope to continue his leadership in the House,” she said in a statement. "As a woman, I believe America deserves better than abortion."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/08/planned-parenthood-funding-_n_2434592.html

[okwmember]

1. As a woman, I believe America deserves better than these 2 dolts.

[dballance]

2. Come On People. Planned Parenthood is SO Much More than Abortion Services

Last I looked Planned Parenthood's services were about 90% women's health and family counseling. How two women want to can that baffles me. PP serves the needs of low income women. They provide paps smears and breast exams. Crucial life-saving health care to women.

They are just what so many Republicans say they want. A private organization rather than government serving the needs of people. But of course it has been standard fare for Republicans to defy all logic.

[DirkGently]

3. Dueling morons (nt).

[ananda]

4. PP is virtually dead in Texas and some other states.

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