Rand Paul Introduces Amendment To Defund Planned Parenthood Bill

Another dead-on-arrival motion to defund abortion conglomerate Planned Parenthood has been introduced by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) as an amendment to the Senate appropriations package for Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education.

In a statement last Friday, Sen. Paul called on Congress to halt the scourge of taxpayer-funded abortions, reminding the GOP to stick to their pro-life values.

“One of the top priorities for a Republican Congress that professes pro-life values on the campaign trail should be to stop taxpayer funding for abortion providers,” said Paul. “This is our chance to turn our words into action, stand up for the sanctity of life, and speak out for the most innocent among us that have no voice.”

Planned Parenthood receives over half a billion dollars in taxpayer dollars. They perform roughly 321,384 abortions a year, according to LifeNews.

The amendment will likely go nowhere, as it has become precedent now for the GOP to pass appropriations bills that violate their promises. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL), who heads the Senate Appropriations Committee, has already stated the bill will go to a vote without any “poison pills” that could cause a Democratic filibuster.

“What we are trying to do is move our bills, and that could be a spoiler,” Sen. Shelby told reporters Monday. He did not rule out a vote on the amendment but did say that, for now, it was not among the amendments the Senate is voting on Tuesday.

Should this appropriations bill pass, the GOP-controlled Congress will have funded Planned Parenthood as many as three times during Trump’s presidency.