Senate Rejects Proposal to Cut Family Planning Funding for Clinics that Also Provide Abortion

Via the Associated Press (10/19):

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate blocked a bid by anti-abortion forces Thursday to cut off money for clinics that provide family planning and other health services in addition to abortions.

By a 52-41 vote, the Senate rejected a proposal by Sen. David Vitter, R-La., to stop funding health clinics, Planned Parenthood and other providers of reproductive health services if they use money from nonfederal sources to perform abortions.

The issue arose during the Senate's second day of debate on a health and education spending bill that finances hundreds of programs, including one dealing with federal family planning efforts.

Vitter said that because since so many people in the U.S. oppose abortion, it is "a very reasonable mainstream policy to say, 'We're not going to support groups that perform abortions.'"

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