U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) announced Friday that President Donald Trump is essentially backing her bill to protect unborn babies by defunding Planned Parenthood.
Blackburn on Jan. 10 introduced her first bill in the U.S. Senate, S. 105, the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act, to strip all abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, of federal funding under Title X of the Public Health Service Act.
Now, Trump has announced he would issue a rule to block the use of federal funds from going to abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, under Title X of the Public Health Service Act, Blackburn said in a press release. The Department of Health and Human Services rule accomplishes the same goal as her act, she said.
The bill’s tracking information is here.
“President Trump is to be commended for taking action to ensure that federal funding for women’s health is used for its intended purpose, not the ending of innocent human life,” Blackburn said. “This new rule works to accomplish the same goal as the bill I introduced in January, the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act, so taxpayers can be sure their dollars only go toward funding women’s health programs, not big abortion providers. Tennesseans and the American people have made clear they do not want their tax dollars subsidizing the business of abortion providers and entities such as Planned Parenthood.”
Trump would cut nearly $60 million going to Planned Parenthood, LifeSite News reported. Specifically, the HHS rule change would require Title X providers to have separate physical areas from centers that provide abortions or abortion referrals.
Under the previous rules, Title X services and abortions could “co-locate” in the same center, as long as the abortions were privately funded. Now, the money will be redirected to Women’s Qualified Health Centers that are not involved in abortions, which dramatically outnumber Planned Parenthood locations across the United States.
Senator Blackburn recently discussed her legislation and the failure of the Senate to pass the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act in an interview with EWTN. Video of the interview is available here.
“I think people looked at this vote yesterday and said you have got to be kidding me,” Blackburn said of the Born-Alive Act’s failure. The bill would have required abortion clinics to provide medical care to babies who were born after a botched abortion.
“It shows infanticide is okay with them,” she said of Democrats.
Blackburn also mentioned her bill, noting that it would require federal funding to go to clinics that provide women’s health care services for women who are underserved, and abortion providers may not receive the funding.
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Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes.
Background Photo “Marsha Blackburn” by EWTN Pro-Life Weekly.
