Less than a week after a shooting at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado killed three and wounded nine others, the Senate voted 48-52 against an amendment that would keep intact the government’s federal funding of Planned Parenthood. $450 million of Planned Parenthood’s total budget of $1.3 billion comes from federal taxes.
The amendment was largely supported by Democrats, but actually sponsored by three Republicans (two of whom are women). The White House has stated that President Obama will veto the bill if it reaches his desk—a veto the GOP is very unlikely to be able to override.
“I want to make clear that our amendment does not include any new spending. It does increase taxes, and it retains the current Hyde amendment language which prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions except in cases of rape, incest or when the life of the mother is at risk,” said Susan Collins (R-Maine), one of the senators who sponsored the bill, according to The Hill. Yes, that’s right—contrary to what some may believe, federal money doesn’t cover abortions, except in rare cases.
Although—thanks to Obama’s inevitable veto—the rejection is very unlikely to go into effect, the outcome of the Senate vote is still very discouraging. According to NBC News, the vote is likely meant to be a statement by the GOP intended to please conservative voters before the 2016 election. Don’t you just love when women’s rights to their own sexuality become a means for Republicans to advance their own political agenda?