Updated July 30, 12:01 p.m.
Republican U.S. Senators discussed legislation Wednesday that would block federal money from going to Planned Parenthood and send those funds to other organizations that provide healthcare services for women.
Planned Parenthood is under scrutiny after videos surfaced that allegedly show doctors talking about selling fetal tissues. The organization’s leadership says Planned Parenthood does not profit from fetal tissue donations.
U.S. Sen. James Lankford(R-Okla.) said federal funding would be better served in community health centers.
"Many of the Planned Parenthood facilities provide screenings while the community health center does both the screening and the health care as well. So this provides healthcare money getting to the actual place where the health care is often taken care of, rather than the place that typically does the screenings," Lankford said during a Wednesday press conference.
https://youtu.be/8lnN1eJhmCk
The Senate could vote on the bill as early as Monday.
Original Post
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe introduced legislation Tuesday that would require the Washington, D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Planned Parenthood.
A series of undercover sting videos show a woman who says she worked for a company that harvested organs from fetuses aborted at Planned Parenthood clinics.
“We’re talking about women being manipulated into putting their health on the line for a government-funded organization to profit from harvesting their child’s body,” Inhofe said on the Senate floor.
https://youtu.be/ErjvlIb73cQ
Oklahoma’s senior Republican Senator said he's concerned about violations of federal law, including changing or delaying abortion procedures for the explicit purpose of harvesting fetal tissue and selling it for a profit.
“These actions deserve to be fully investigated,” Inhofe said. “Crimes have been committed. It’s our moral obligation to fully prosecute any violation of the law.”
Senate Bill 1877 would also defund Planned Parenthood. Inhofe says the organization's 2013/2014 annual report shows it received $528 million in taxpayer funding.
The controversy surrounding the videos has become a campaign issue. Oklahoma’s other U.S. Senator joined three Republican presidential candidates Tuesday at a U.S. Capitol rally calling for ending taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood.
U.S. Sen. James Lankford joined his colleagues U.S. Sen. Rand Paul and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, as well as Ben Carson, at the Students for Life rally.
“It is time for federal taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood to end and let community health centers use that funding to provide health care services,” Lankford said in a statement. “It is unacceptable to let the taxes of Americans who strongly oppose abortion continue to be funneled to this organization.”
A week ago Lankford introduced a bill that would temporarily end federal support for Planned Parenthood for a year while the organization is investigated.
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