Rounds Actively Working to Defund Planned Parenthood
Signs onto Legislation to Completely Defund Organization
PIERRE—U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today issued the following statement after another video surfaced of Planned Parenthood executives discussing the sale of unborn babies’ body parts. He has cosponsored several bills to defund the organization. The Senate will vote on legislation to defund Planned Parenthood on Monday.
“Four videos have now surfaced of Planned Parenthood officials talking casually and cold-heartedly about the sale of body parts of unborn children. The behavior displayed by agency officials in the videos is disgusting and morally reprehensible,” said Rounds. “Planned Parenthood should never have been receiving taxpayer dollars. I will work to stop federal funds from going to this organization immediately.”
Legislation Rounds Has Cosponsored To Defund Planned Parenthood:
- S. 1861 would eliminate nearly $500 million of taxpayer funding each year to Planned Parenthood.
- S. 1877 would require a special prosecutor to be appointed by the DC Circuit Court of Appeals for the purpose of investigating Planned Parenthood’s alleged violation of federal law, including changing or delaying abortion procedures for the sole purpose of harvesting fetal tissue and selling fetal tissue for profit. The legislation would also rescind federal funding to Planned Parenthood as a means to pay for this special investigation and would also authorize the investigation of any other organization that funds or conducts abortions.
- S. 1881 would defund Planned Parenthood while preserving federal funding for women’s health services, including relevant diagnostic laboratory and radiology services, well-child care, prenatal and postpartum care, immunization, cervical and breast cancer screenings and referrals. Funds no longer available to Planned Parenthood will continue to be offered to other eligible entities to provide such women’s health care services.
In addition, Rounds joined 49 of his colleagues in a letter to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell to draw attention to the legal, ethical and policy issues raised by the footage and urge her to cooperate with ongoing and future investigations into these questions.
Planned Parenthood receives roughly $1.4 million tax payer dollars every day, according to their 2013-2014 annual report. The Senate is scheduled to vote on S. 1881 on Monday, August 3, 2015 at 5:30 p.m. ET.
