The Republican Party introduced the Continuing Appropriations Resolution of 2016 in early September, hoping to block government funding of Planned Parenthood for one year. Although the bill never made it past the Republican-controlled Senate, failing by a final vote of 47-52, debate over the organization continues.
Controversy around Planned Parenthood first began to escalate in July when an anti-abortion group released a series of videos attacking the organization. The videos show executives speaking about how Planned Parenthood sells fetal organs and tissues to research, and how abortion procedures might be slightly altered in order to deliver the types of organs that medical researchers are looking for.
Planned Parenthood vehemently denied these claims, explaining that the videos are “heavily edited” and do not accurately depict the situation. But the videos still sparked outrage in conservative communities, causing many Republican politicians to vow to punish the organization for their actions.
Republicans such as John Boehner and Carly Fiorina have been especially vocal about their positions in the debate around Planned Parenthood. When questioned about her stance on women’s reproductive rights at an Iowa campaign event on September 26, Fiorina responded by proclaiming that she “[doesn’t] support the butchering of babies.”
The White House has made it clear that President Obama is prepared to veto any sort of bill that deals with defunding Planned Parenthood. He was even willing to shut down the government over the situation, à la Obamacare, although that now seems increasingly unlikely.
In wake of these criticisms, Planned Parenthood has been trying to dispel many of the misconceptions surrounding their services. Contrary to the beliefs of many Republicans, providing abortions is only a small aspect of what the organization offers to communities, accounting for only 3% of their services. According to Planned Parenthood’s 2013 Annual Report, the vast majority of their services revolve around STI testing (42%) and contraceptives consultations (34%).
Planned Parenthood’s services are especially important in the United States, where not everyone has access to health insurance. They are accredited with providing affordable essential services such as pap smears and breast cancer screenings to women who might not have the financial means to otherwise receive these services.
The consequences of defunding Planned Parenthood would have been large-scale; the Congressional Budget Office estimated that as many as 630,000 Americans would have lost at least some access to healthcare, with women in low-income communities being hit hardest by the loss.
Although the controversy now seems to be dying down—John Boehner has publicly announced that the government will not shut down over the issue, and an inquiry in Missouri found Planned Parenthood innocent of any wrongdoing—this is certainly not the first time that women’s reproductive health rights have been at the centre of an American political drama. In an eerily similar situation four years ago, Boehner threatened to shut down the government because Obama wouldn’t agree to cut funding to Planned Parenthood.
The GOP is still looking for other ways to defund Planned Parenthood that would avoid a government shutdown.
