Pence Introduces Bill to De-Fund Planned Parenthood, Walsh Co-Sponsors

Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN), has introduced a bill, HB217 that would deny Title X federal family planning funding to Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers:

It is morally wrong to end an unborn human life by abortion. It is also morally wrong to take the taxpayer dollars of millions of pro-life Americans and use them to promote abortion at home or abroad.

Last year, Planned Parenthood received more than $363 million in revenue from government grants and contracts. During that same time, they performed an unprecedented 324,008 abortions.

The largest abortion provider in America should not also be the largest recipient of federal funding under Title X.

The Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act will prevent any family planning funds under Title X from going to Planned Parenthood or other organizations that perform abortions. It will ensure that abortion providers are not being subsidized with federal tax dollars.

Pence boasts over 120 co-sponsors to this bill, including our own Joe Walsh (R-IL), of the 8th District.

I spoke with Congressman Walsh today, and he told me:

This is one of the first pieces of legislation that I'm a co-sponsor on, and it's an honor.

You know as well as I do that Planned Parenthood receives an idiotically high amount of funding from the government, and they continue to perform an unprecedented number of abortions.

If there's anything like a common ground on this issue, it's that public money shouldn't be used to fund abortion. It's a privilege and an honor to co-sponsor this bill.

Congressman Bob Dold (R-IL), of the 10th District, ran on a platform that included opposition to public funding of abortion, although Dold identifies himself as being pro-choice. According to Pence's office, Dold is not a co-sponsor of this bill, and a call to Dold's office asking the Congressman's position on this bill has not been returned.

Mike Pence's remarks on the House floor introducing the bill: