Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado (R) has introduced her first bill of the year, the ‘Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2023,’ in an effort to prevent abortion provider Planned Parenthood from receiving taxpayer funds.
The bill would place a one-year moratorium on federal funds allotted to Planned Parenthood and redirect funding to “Federally Qualified Health Centers” that provide health care services such as pap smears, cancer screenings, and prenatal care.
“The nation’s largest abortion provider has no business receiving taxpayer dollars,” Boebert said of the bill. “Planned Parenthood claims these funds go to healthcare for women, but last year, Planned Parenthood performed a record number of abortions while also reducing the number of well-woman exams and breast cancer screenings it performed.”
Annual taxpayer funding to Planned Parenthood facilities in 2022 exceeded $633 million, according to Fox News.
“Instead of funding Planned Parenthood, my bill will redirect this funding to community health centers that focus on healthy women, not killing babies,” Boebert went on to say.
Twenty-nine members of the House of Representatives have signed onto Boebert’s Defund Planned Parenthood Act.
In response to previous calls to defund the clinic, Planned Parenthood has said that it would “really mean blocking patients who depend on public health care funds from getting their care at Planned Parenthood health centers,” The Blaze notes. The clinic’s annual 2021-2022 report claimed that it had performed 383,460 abortions.
Kristan Hawkins, President of Students for Life of America said, “There’s no single entity that stands to make a profit off the violence of abortion more than Planned Parenthood. Deceitfully, Planned Parenthood guises their business model as one that helps women while their latest annual report shows they made $633 MILLION from taxpayers while ending 383,460 little lives in that same time frame.”
Hawkins added: “Screening services to help women were all down by double digit percentages proving they’re in the business of abortion. Students for Life Action applauds Rep. Boebert and her colleagues for cutting funds from this abortion giant while lifting up the local pregnancy centers that stand to gain nothing from helping women facing crisis pregnancy.”
In a Friday tweet, the Colorado congresswoman said, “I’ve introduced my first bill of the 118th Congress. It would defund Planned Parenthood. We need to protect the sanctity of life in this country. To all those marching at the March For Life, let’s rally behind this bill and get it done!”
More from Boebert’s press release:
From 2020-2021, the government gave $633 million—or over $1.7 million per day—in taxpayer dollars to Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood’s business model is to prioritize abortions above all else. Since 2010, Planned Parenthood has reduced its cancer screening by 74%, prenatal care by 72%, and contraceptive services by 41%. Instead of funding Planned Parenthood, Congresswoman Boebert’s legislation redirects $235 million to funding community health centers across the country that provide healthcare for women. Congresswoman Boebert is a member of the Values Action Team. Congresswoman Boebert is proud to have earned an A+ rating from the Susan B Anthony List, a 100% score from the National Right to Life Committee, a 100% score from the Family Research Council, an A+ from Students for Life Action, and a 0% score from Planned Parenthood. Students for Life of America, the National Right to Life Committee, Heritage Action, and Concerned Women for America support Congresswoman Boebert’s Defund Planned Parenthood Act. 29 Members of Congress cosponsored Rep. Boebert’s Defund Planned Parenthood Act, including: Rep. Robert Aderholt (AL-04), Rep. Jodey Arrington (TX-19), Rep. Brian Babin (TX-36), Rep. Dan Bishop (NC-08), Rep. Mike Bost (IL-12), Rep. Ken Buck (CO-04), Rep. Ben Cline (VA-06), Rep. Andrew Clyde (GA-09), Rep. Jeff Duncan (SC-03), Rep. Ron Estes (KS-04), Rep. Pat Fallon (TX-04), Rep. Randy Feenstra (IA-04), Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03), Rep. Matt Gaetz (FL-01), Rep. Bob Good (VA-05), Rep. Paul Gosar (AZ-09), Rep. Glenn Grothman (WI-06), Rep. Michael Guest (MS-03), Rep. Andy Harris (MD-01), Rep. Diana Harshbarger (TN-01), Rep. Clay Higgins (LA-03), Rep. Mike Johnson (LA-04), Rep. Brian Mast (FL-21), Rep. Mary Miller (IL-15), Rep. John Moolenaar (MI-02), Rep. Alex Mooney (WV-02), Rep. Bill Posey (FL-08), Rep. Matt Rosendale (MT-02) and Rep. Robert Wittman (VA-01).
You can read the bill here:
