U.S. senators introduce bill to redirect taxpayer funding away from Planned Parenthood

Two U.S. senators have introduced legislation that aims to redirect funding away from Planned Parenthood and toward health care centers that do not perform abortions.

The bill known as "Protect Funding for Women's Health Care Act" was proposed by Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and James Lankford (R-Okla.) with the support of 127 co-sponsors.

According to Life News, the measure would place a moratorium on federal funding for Planned Parenthood, including its affiliates, until the organization certifies that it will no longer perform elective abortions or give funding for institutions that provide the said service.

"For years, our nation has debated life and abortion - at a minimum we should agree that no taxpayer should be forced to fund the largest provider of abortion in the country with their hard-earned tax dollars," Lankford said on Jan. 30.

He noted that Planned Parenthood receives millions in private donations each year, and the contributions have increased since Donald Trump was elected president.

"There is no reason for a private non-governmental organization, like Planned Parenthood, to receive $500 million a year in taxpayer money," the senator remarked.

Supporters of the legislation have said that it would ensure that there would be no reduction in federal funding for women's health, Crux reported.

Lankford's office said he had proposed a similar bill with Ernst and Sen. Rand Paul in 2015 after investigative reports indicated that Planned Parenthood officials had participated in illegal procurement for sale of body parts from abortion.

Meanwhile, several pro-life groups have expressed plans to gather outside Planned Parenthood facilities across the nation to support efforts to defund the abortion provider.

#ProtestPP, a coalition of state and national pro-life groups, will be protesting against the federal funding of the abortion organization on Saturday.

"As Congress moves forward with plans to defund Planned Parenthood, citizens will speak up in support of this action on Saturday, Feb. 11. Groups will gather outside nearly 200 Planned Parenthood facilities across the country and the nation's capital for #DefundPP rallies," a statement from the coalition read.

A recent poll released by pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List has revealed that a majority of voters in battleground states are opposed to giving taxpayer money to Planned Parenthood.

The results indicated that 56 percent of voters in select Senate battleground states are not in favor of taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood, and 60 percent are less likely to vote for a senator who would give money to the abortion organization instead of community health centers that provide comprehensive women's healthcare.