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| Republicans use Planned Parenthood videos to launch latest abortion attack | Republicans use Planned Parenthood videos to launch latest abortion attack |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| The political firestorm set off by secret anti-abortion videos reached new heights on Wednesday, as Republicans in the US Senate unveiled legislation to defund Planned Parenthood and Hillary Clinton acknowledged the undercover footage of the group’s employees discussing fetal tissue sales was “disturbing”. | The political firestorm set off by secret anti-abortion videos reached new heights on Wednesday, as Republicans in the US Senate unveiled legislation to defund Planned Parenthood and Hillary Clinton acknowledged the undercover footage of the group’s employees discussing fetal tissue sales was “disturbing”. |
| The controversy over the videos has reverberated from YouTube to the 2016 presidential contest and back to the web, where Planned Parenthood’s website was taken down on Wednesday evening. But this renewed debate over reproductive rights in America has escalated dramatically in Washington, even as Senate Democrats said the new bill represented “the worst of the attacks on women’s healthcare”. | |
| Related: The anti-Planned Parenthood videos fail to make a case against abortion | Scott Lemieux | Related: The anti-Planned Parenthood videos fail to make a case against abortion | Scott Lemieux |
| Senate Republicans, with the support of majority leader Mitch McConnell, introduced legislation late Tuesday that would block federal funding for Planned Parenthood. The bill, which would reallocate roughly $540m from the group’s other women’s health programs, has more than two dozen Republican co-sponsors and is expected to reach an initial vote early next week. | Senate Republicans, with the support of majority leader Mitch McConnell, introduced legislation late Tuesday that would block federal funding for Planned Parenthood. The bill, which would reallocate roughly $540m from the group’s other women’s health programs, has more than two dozen Republican co-sponsors and is expected to reach an initial vote early next week. |
| Kentucky senator Rand Paul and Texas senator Ted Cruz, both Republican presidential candidates, are co-sponsors of the legislation and have called on Clinton to both denounce Planned Parenthood and return any donations she has received from its employees. | Kentucky senator Rand Paul and Texas senator Ted Cruz, both Republican presidential candidates, are co-sponsors of the legislation and have called on Clinton to both denounce Planned Parenthood and return any donations she has received from its employees. |
| Florida senator Marco Rubio, another Republican running for president, is also backing the effort to defund the group. | Florida senator Marco Rubio, another Republican running for president, is also backing the effort to defund the group. |
| “Look at all this outrage over a dead lion,” he tweeted on Wednesday in reference to the US dentist who shot one of Africa’s most famous beasts, “but where is all the outrage over the planned parenthood dead babies”? | “Look at all this outrage over a dead lion,” he tweeted on Wednesday in reference to the US dentist who shot one of Africa’s most famous beasts, “but where is all the outrage over the planned parenthood dead babies”? |
| Clinton has stood by Planned Parenthood amid the uproar, but expressed concerns over the contents of the videos in an interview on Tuesday. | Clinton has stood by Planned Parenthood amid the uproar, but expressed concerns over the contents of the videos in an interview on Tuesday. |
| “I have seen pictures from them and obviously find them disturbing,” Clinton told the New Hampshire Union Leader. | “I have seen pictures from them and obviously find them disturbing,” Clinton told the New Hampshire Union Leader. |
| The Democratic frontrunner for president continued nonetheless to forcefully defend the group as leading provider of women’s health services. | The Democratic frontrunner for president continued nonetheless to forcefully defend the group as leading provider of women’s health services. |
| “Planned Parenthood for more than a century has done a lot of really good work for women: cancer screenings, family planning, all kinds of health services. And this raises not questions about Planned Parenthood so much as it raises questions about the whole process, that is, not just involving Planned Parenthood, but many institutions in our country,” Clinton said. “And if there’s going to be any kind of congressional inquiry, it should look at everything and not just one [organization].” | “Planned Parenthood for more than a century has done a lot of really good work for women: cancer screenings, family planning, all kinds of health services. And this raises not questions about Planned Parenthood so much as it raises questions about the whole process, that is, not just involving Planned Parenthood, but many institutions in our country,” Clinton said. “And if there’s going to be any kind of congressional inquiry, it should look at everything and not just one [organization].” |
| Clinton also emphasized her record as a strong supporter of abortions rights and a “woman’s right to choose”. | Clinton also emphasized her record as a strong supporter of abortions rights and a “woman’s right to choose”. |
| “I’m well aware that passions are very high,” she said. “I have said for more than 22 years that abortion should be legal, safe and rare. As first lady, I led an effort to try to lower the number of teenage pregnancies and we succeeded, and as president I will continue to work toward that so that women are fully empowered, they can afford to make responsible decisions, and I hope we will be successful at that.” | “I’m well aware that passions are very high,” she said. “I have said for more than 22 years that abortion should be legal, safe and rare. As first lady, I led an effort to try to lower the number of teenage pregnancies and we succeeded, and as president I will continue to work toward that so that women are fully empowered, they can afford to make responsible decisions, and I hope we will be successful at that.” |
| Republicans believe the videos have given them an opening to chip away at access to abortion, and target a group they have long sought to defund at both the federal and state level. | Republicans believe the videos have given them an opening to chip away at access to abortion, and target a group they have long sought to defund at both the federal and state level. |
| At a press conference on Wednesday, Republican sponsors of the bill to defund Planned Parenthood said the contents of the videos “absolutely shock the conscience”. | At a press conference on Wednesday, Republican sponsors of the bill to defund Planned Parenthood said the contents of the videos “absolutely shock the conscience”. |
| The proposed legislation, McConnell said, would ensure that Congress is “not subsidizing some scandal-plagued organization”. | The proposed legislation, McConnell said, would ensure that Congress is “not subsidizing some scandal-plagued organization”. |
| “This bill will ensure that taxpayer dollars that are supposed to be spent on women’s health are, in fact, spent on women’s health,” he said. | “This bill will ensure that taxpayer dollars that are supposed to be spent on women’s health are, in fact, spent on women’s health,” he said. |
| Iowa senator Joni Ernst, one of the leading sponsors of the Republican bill, said the sale of fetal organs was “morally reprehensible and vile” and drew attention to Clinton’s remarks the day before to cast the backlash as bipartisan. | Iowa senator Joni Ernst, one of the leading sponsors of the Republican bill, said the sale of fetal organs was “morally reprehensible and vile” and drew attention to Clinton’s remarks the day before to cast the backlash as bipartisan. |
| But even as the Republicans spearheading the legislative response assailed Planned Parenthood, they repeatedly underscored that the federal funding was being shifted to other women’s health providers – reflecting a more cautious approach in messaging for a party that faces lingering problems in its perception among women. | But even as the Republicans spearheading the legislative response assailed Planned Parenthood, they repeatedly underscored that the federal funding was being shifted to other women’s health providers – reflecting a more cautious approach in messaging for a party that faces lingering problems in its perception among women. |
| The issue at hand, the Republicans argued, was a matter of showing “compassion” and “protecting women’s health”. | The issue at hand, the Republicans argued, was a matter of showing “compassion” and “protecting women’s health”. |
| It remains unlikely, however, that the Republican proposal to defund Planned Parenthood will garner the 60 votes necessary to break a filibuster. It would need at least some Democrats to cross over to succeed, and Senate Democratic leaders were confident on Wednesday their members would reject the effort. | It remains unlikely, however, that the Republican proposal to defund Planned Parenthood will garner the 60 votes necessary to break a filibuster. It would need at least some Democrats to cross over to succeed, and Senate Democratic leaders were confident on Wednesday their members would reject the effort. |
| Harry Reid, the Senate minority leader, said the Republican plan was “disguised as a way to help women”. | Harry Reid, the Senate minority leader, said the Republican plan was “disguised as a way to help women”. |
| “The Republican bill pretends to be for women’s health, but it would prohibit federal funds to go to an organization that is the healthcare backbone for many American women,” Reid said on the Senate floor. | |
| New York senator Chuck Schumer, the second-ranking Senate Democrat, told reporters that he expected “overwhelming opposition” to the new defunding legislation. | New York senator Chuck Schumer, the second-ranking Senate Democrat, told reporters that he expected “overwhelming opposition” to the new defunding legislation. |
| Washington senator Patty Murray, another member of Democratic leadership, said the bill represented nothing more than a way to “take away millions of women’s ability to get breast cancer screening, ovarian screening, birth control, and to tell [women] the Republicans are picking their doctor”. | Washington senator Patty Murray, another member of Democratic leadership, said the bill represented nothing more than a way to “take away millions of women’s ability to get breast cancer screening, ovarian screening, birth control, and to tell [women] the Republicans are picking their doctor”. |
| “This is a way to once again go after the agenda that they have set for years now to defund Planned Parenthood,” Murray said. “This is an organization that provides across-the-board healthcare for 2.7 million women today.” | “This is a way to once again go after the agenda that they have set for years now to defund Planned Parenthood,” Murray said. “This is an organization that provides across-the-board healthcare for 2.7 million women today.” |
| Connecticut senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat who has sponsored legislation in the past to protect women’s access to abortion, referred to the Republican bill as “an anathema”. | Connecticut senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat who has sponsored legislation in the past to protect women’s access to abortion, referred to the Republican bill as “an anathema”. |
| “It’s a non-starter,” Blumenthal told the Guardian. “It epitomizes the worst of the attack on women’s healthcare.” | “It’s a non-starter,” Blumenthal told the Guardian. “It epitomizes the worst of the attack on women’s healthcare.” |
| Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards has maintained that the organization did not violate any laws, and that the videos are part of a three-year effort by anti-abortion activists to deceive the public on its practices. | |
| Related: Planned Parenthood says hackers are trying to access employee data | |
| On Wednesday evening, the group said its website had been taken offline by a denial-of-service attack, for which Planned Parenthood executive vice president blamed “a hacker tactic” that she called “a new low for anti-abortion extremists”. The organization said hackers tried to access employee data earlier in the week. | |
| The videos, released by the California-based Center for Medical Progress, are heavily edited, and extended clips include Planned Parenthood employees saying repeatedly that the group does not profit from fetal tissue donations. | |
| Richards did, however, apologize for the “tone and statements” of a senior staff member shown in the video discussing fetal body parts. | Richards did, however, apologize for the “tone and statements” of a senior staff member shown in the video discussing fetal body parts. |