Commentary

Many pro-Life leaders across the country bemoaned the recent Omnibus Spending bill enacted at the eleventh hour by Republicans in Congress to deal with yet one more “emergency”. The bill contained an appropriation to fund Planned Parenthood yet again.  And it failed to provide the conscience protections that congressional leaders had been dangling in front of pro-Life leaders for weeks as a kind of incentive to turn a blind eye to the on-going subsidies for the Abortion Industry.

So, here we are. Coming up fast on a year-and-a-half into the Trump presidency and Planned Parenthood is still raking in the taxpayer dough.  The GAO recently confirmed that this evil enterprise has received $1.5 billion in taxpayer money over the past three years.  This time next year it will be over $2 billion.

How is this possible? How does it continue – even though we have a president who has begged Congress to send him a defunding measure?

The key is the broken appropriation process.   For too long, pro-Life leaders and groups have given members of Congress a pass when they vote for these band-aid funding measures.  We have looked the other way on funding bills that contain funding for Planned Parenthood and have not held members accountable.  We have accepted the argument that it is no one’s fault; that these things must happen because the Democrats will shut down the government and hold pro-Life conservatives responsible.

If we want to end taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood, we must start scoring these funding bills and counting a vote for legislation like this Omnibus Bill as an anti-Life vote. Period.

So let us begin. Senators Risch and Crapo voted against this monstrosity.  Congressman Labrador voted against this on-going subsidy for Planned Parenthood and the rest of the waste contained therein.  But Idaho’s 2^nd District Congressman, Mike Simpson, supported it.  We at Idaho Chooses Life count that as an anti-Life vote.

And we urge our friends at National Right to Life to do the same.