House votes to defund Planned Parenthood

On the same day as the House vote, the White House narrowed a Bush administration rule that allows medical providers to refuse to perform abortions.

The Hill: Senate Dems Present United Front On GOP Abortion Fight
A handful of Senate Democrats are presenting a united front against new reproductive-rights restrictions being pushed by House Republicans. The House on Friday, during its debate of a spending bill to keep the government running past March 4, approved an amendment by Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) stripping federal funding from Planned Parenthood, which receives about $350 million each year in federal, state and local grants (Millman, 2/21).

Politico: House Votes To Defund Planned Parenthood
The House just approved Rep. Mike Pence's amendment to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood, checking off a hot-button social issue even as it set up a bigger showdown over defunding the health care law. The vote was 240-185 with 11 Democrats voting for the amendment, and seven Republicans voting against. One member voted present. A group of Republicans on the floor applauded when the vote hit 218 (Nather and Nocera, 2/18).

CQ HealthBeat: Family Planning Scores A Win At The White House And A Loss On Capitol Hill
The Obama administration Friday held to its long-delayed pledge to narrow a Bush administration rule that allows medical providers to refuse to perform abortions. The action was announced just as the House voted to deny federal funds to birth-control and abortion provider Planned Parenthood Federation of America. As part of its debate on the 2011 fiscal spending measure (HR 1), the House adopted, 240-185 with one member voting present, an amendment by Republican Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana that would deny any federal funds to Planned Parenthood. The underlying text of the bill already would eliminate the main source of birth control funds for all family planning clinics, the $317 million Title X grant program that supports centers that give low-income women birth control, cancer screenings and other basic care. Senate Democrats have vowed to restore the funding when that chamber takes up the spending bill (Adams, 2/18).

Kaiser Health News: A Guide To GOP Proposals To Slash Family Planning
Reporting for Kaiser Health News, Aimee Miles writes: "Controversy over the GOP's reproductive health agenda is mounting after the House passed a spending bill that slashes funds for family planning clinics and eliminates federal support for Planned Parenthood, a major provider of reproductive health care in the U.S. Republican leaders say that desperate times call for painful cuts in federal spending — and abortion providers are a prime target" (Miles, 2/19).