Katherine Clark: “There has been a lot of talk about defunding Planned Parenthood. Some Republicans have made this such a priority that…”

“There has been a lot of talk about defunding Planned Parenthood. Some Republicans have made this such a priority that they are vowing to shut down our government, shut down our programs for veterans and hinder their ability to access services, WIC programs serving moms and babies, curtail services for domestic violence, and close our national parks and landmarks. The last Republican shutdown cost our economy $24 billion, but many of the GOP's Presidential candidates said in their debate just last night that defunding Planned Parenthood is a priority. We are not talking about abortion here. We are talking about access to health care. Under current law, Federal money cannot be used for the coverage for abortion except in the most extreme circumstances of rape, incest, or the possibility of the death of the mother. Even though most Americans disagree with that restriction and believe firmly that decisions surrounding pregnancy should be between a woman, her doctor, and her faith, that is not the law of the land currently. So if we are not talking about abortion, what are we talking about? What is this threat that will be stopped by cutting off all Federal funding for Planned Parenthood? What we are talking about is denying health care to the 2.7 million patients who received care just last year at Planned Parenthood. More than 90 percent of what Planned Parenthood does is preventative care.…”