The U.S. House of Representatives just voted to strip Planned Parenthood of roughly $335 million in federal funding—or one-third of its budget—used for comprehensive birth control, sex education and family planning, and HIV and cancer screenings.

Planned Parenthood doesn’t use federal funding to support their abortion services. In fact, according to their website, only three percent of the services that over three million people people access each year through Planned Parenthood are abortion related.

Basically, conservatives in the House (and 10 Democrats) are cutting funding for women’s health.

Fuckers.

Go here to lodge your support for Planned Parenthood.

The good news is TPM reports that, “The bill is not likely to make it through the Senate, where the Democrats have the majority, or to survive a veto by President Obama if it comes down to it.”

And speaking against the legislation on the House floor yesterday, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) argued that the legislation is unconstitutional because said it clearly seeks to punish Planned Parenthood for a few services it provides women. He argues that the bill will be struck down by the courts if it manages to pass.

Madam Chairman, I am not going to repeat all of what has been said about the Republican war on women, about the fact that the Republican majority was elected pledging jobs and all we see is a war on various social services and women and nothing about jobs. But I am going to say this: I have been listening very carefully to the supporters of this amendment, to Mr. Pence and others, and what do I hear? I hear that we must punish Planned Parenthood by defunding them because they have committed a number of sins.

Nadler’s full comments, a bit windy but worth the read, after the jump.

“Sin Number 1 — they perform abortions. They are a very large abortion provider, and even though none of those abortions are paid for with federal funds — that is prohibited under the Hyde amendment, however you read it — ‘we don’t like Planned Parenthood because they are a large abortion provider.’

“Number two — ‘we don’t like Planned Parenthood because they have committed allegedly various terrible things.’ Some provocateurs went into their offices and said that they were representing sex workers and they were offered services, and any organization that is willing to do this should not get federal funds.

“We are going to punish Planned Parenthood, number one, because they are a large abortion provider and we don’t like abortion providers; and, number two, because they do other things which, if in fact they do, which I don’t think they do, but if in fact they do, they are bad things.

“There is a major problem with this. There is a major problem with this rhetoric and with this reasoning. And, by the way, the CR to which this is an amendment eliminates Title X family planning funding anyway, so it will eliminate most of the funds that go to Planned Parenthood. But whatever funds that are available, they can go to other people to provide those services, not Planned Parenthood, because ‘we don’t like Planned Parenthood for various reasons.’

“A bill that punishes someone, some person or organization who is named or is identifiable, by legislative action is called a bill of attainder. That is the definition of a bill of attainder: A legislative punishment, penalty, a legislative penalty, a legislative-enacted penalty — in this case, no funding — directed at some identifiable person or organization to punish them for something.

“Article I, Section 9 says, ‘No bill of attainder or ex post facto law shall be passed’ — a fundamental foundation of constitutional law.

“If Planned Parenthood or anybody else is doing terrible things and ought to be punished, that is up to the courts. If, indeed, Planned Parenthood is trafficking with sex traffickers, let them be prosecuted. If, indeed, Planned Parenthood is doing anything illegal, let them be prosecuted. Let the organization be prosecuted. Let the individual employees who are doing these things be prosecuted at law. That is our system. But you don’t punish an organization because they are doing something of which you don’t approve.

“Now, if you want to say we don’t think that there ought to be any contraceptive services in the United States and therefore we are going to have no Title X funding, the CR does say that. I don’t agree with it, but it is constitutional. But, to say that if we have Title X funding, if we have maternal services funding, none of it can go to Planned Parenthood, it can go to somebody else, but not Planned Parenthood, that is a legislatively enacted punishment because Planned Parenthood is or is allegedly doing things of which you don’t approve.

“Now, I heard a lot at the beginning of this Congress about how we have to make sure that we adhere to the Constitution. This is a bill of attainder, because it is a legislatively enacted punishment of a named organization because that organization is doing things, or is allegedly doing things, of which we don’t approve.

“So I submit that, in addition to all the other reasons why this shouldn’t be done that have been enacted here, this is flatly unconstitutional, and I challenge anyone to say how this is not a bill of attainder. Again, the black letter definition of a bill of attainder is a legislatively enacted penalty aimed at some person or organization that is identifiable, named right here, for some reason, that they have done various things, provided abortions, done illegal things or otherwise.

“So, in addition to all the other problems, this amendment is unconstitutional and will be struck down by the courts if it should pass.”

Former Stranger news writer Cienna Madrid has been a writer in residence for Richard Hugo House, a local literary nonprofit. There, she taught fiction classes and wrote 4/5 of a book about a death-row...

42 replies on “House Votes to Strip Planned Parenthood of Federal Funds”

  2. It appears here that by removing funding for an organization that provides cancer screenings, the Republicans do not believe cancer screenings are worthy of national funding. This confuses me, as I know of several Republican women who have had cancer. The survivors seem thankful they had screening for cancer. I guess I will never understand American politics.

  4. The House is stripping fucking everything out of the budget. And then, when the Dems jam it through anyway (which will happen, because the country can’t run without a budget), the GOP will blame everything on the Dems. Politics as usual, pure and simple.

  5. The house does a lot of stupid shit under the new majority leadership, purely to get publicity, like this – since nothing will stick.

    Ah well, at least it’s an opportunity for Chris Charbonneau to send us members another fundraising email. Best get out my credit card.

  8. The comparisons to Saudi Arabia on the other thread become more and more believable every day. Keep your women pregnant and ignorant…it worked so well in the dark ages.

    (hola, gus. duck, here comes the puck…)

  9. I’m in Dave Reichert’s district . I’ve called his office and emailed him about how nuclear I am over this, not that it will do any good.

    #7 – righteous point. THIS is what they’re spending their time on?

  11. What also is just totally mind boggling wrong was that Pence(the amendments author) and various other republican reps went on the house floor and cited the Lila Rose Live Action scam as a reason for defunding; claiming that they care about the health and safety of women and girls….
    GAH!!! that’s just fucking far beyond reprehensible and odious.

  12. @9, Reichert voted for it? Jesus, people, there’s your hook. He’s not a moderate, he’s an enemy of women’s health. USE IT. Vote the motherfucker out next time.

  13. The Grotesque Oligarch Party at it again… Are we still being civil in politics? Because these Fascists-in-Training need to be removed from office like Mubarak.

  15. How come the Democrats didn’t recognize a Bill of Attainder when Acorn lost all of their federal funds and had to disband?

    If I were a cynic, I’d say that race played a role.

  16. This is horrible.

    I would point out that not only does Planned Parenthood serve as a primary women’s care clinic for millions of women, the affiliates also do a TON of work in communities that need not only access to various birth control and STD prevention methods, but education about reproductive health. Not to mention treatment and counseling for prevention of STD’s for men.

    I think Cienna summed it up best:

    Fuckers.

  17. Spend 10 minutes on the phone

    Senator Maria Cantwell – 202.224.3441
    Senator Patty Murray – 202.224.2621
    Congressman Jim McDermott – 206.553.7170

  24. The House republicans are basically the Underpants Gnomes of congress. Here’s pretty much the extent of their plan:

    Phase 1: Attack the real needs and concerns of women
    Phase 2: ?
    Phase 3: jobs/profit

  25. Men have no business with women’s reproductive issues. They way that I see it, they should lose their say in a pregnancy every time they blow their load into a vagina. At that point the decision is 51-49, and the woman gets the final say in everything from that point on since she’s the one stuck holding the fetus. I’d love to see what would happen if a women’s group proposed legislation having anything to do with men’s dicks. They’d probably be arrested.

  27. Because taking away people’s access to and education of birth control options will create less unwanted pregnancies/abortions… how exactly?

    The whole pimp/child prostitute thing was a scam anyways but, even it it were true what is the alternative? Child prostitute gets pregnant ( that would turn out so well for all involved) and is given no working knowledge of std prevention? Besides the fact that PP may be her only link to the “outside world” where she could actually get help to get out of that horrible situation.

    fucking dumb-asses!!!

  28. I so, so, so agree with you nartweaq.

    If I were the nurse contacted at Planned Parenthood (I don’t work there), I’d for sure agree to see the children. That’s perhaps the only time that they would be able to be in a safe place outside of the eyes of their pimp. I used to do work with women who did street prostitution at night, and often a 2 am, “I can check out that strange bump in the bathroom of the coffee shop across the street” was the opportunity for us to pass information back and forth, including escape plans.

  29. Fuck the Republicans.
    The last time I was without insurance, the ONLY place I could get a pap smear and yearly exam was a Planned Parenthood in Utah (yes, there are a few, and they all need support!). I called multiple doctors, all of whom either wanted a ridiculous amount of cash up front, or who just wouldn’t see anyone without insurance. Because of PP, I found out I had some abnormal cells and required additional monitoring and tests. Unfortunately, this “pre-existing condition” also prevented me from getting independent health insurance until health care reform came along, when pre-existing conditions could no longer prevent me from getting insurance.
    Evidently since I don’t have a penis, my health – and my life – doesn’t matter to Republicans. They’d rather dictate how my uterus can be used, define their fantasy version of rape, and take away my rights. So when do I need to start wearing a burqa?

  30. The saddest part of this whole thing is that if this budget makes it all the way to Obama he won’t veto it. He is spineless and would let defunding of important non profits like PP go.

  33. “Men have no business with women’s reproductive issues. “

    Until you need taxpayers money for your abortion. Kind of like calling it rape after the check bounces.

  35. @33, federal funding for abortion is already against the law except in cases of rape and incest. I guess that upsets you because aborting incest babies would have prevented mentally defective windowlicking shiteaters like you from being born.

  36. @33
    You’ve obviously been drinking the right-wing kool-aid which prohibits reading comprehension and critical (not to mention independent) thought.
    You’ve obviously not heard of nor read the Hyde Amendment, except perhaps the Faux S’news version or the Koch Industries/TeaBaggers version of it.
    You’re obviously a fucking idiot.
    Fuck off.

  37. @33

    Thanks for your contribution. It just goes to show, people who support this legislation don’t know what they’re talking about.

  40. @29 Me, to: All through high school (before and after I ever had sex) and college, Planned Parenthood was my regular OBGYN. It was affordable, kind and unbelievably helpful. I can’t believe that other women might lose access to this amazing institution.

    Fuck the fucking Republicans.

    It’s a shame that the feminist movement was so successfully battered in the 1990s, because in the 1970/80s we would have been making plans by now to march on Washington over this. Something needs to happen besides just signing an stupid Internet petition.

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