Are Republicans Pushing Their Luck With Planned Parenthood Defunding?

That’s the suggestion in this Politico piece on what will happen to the Pence Amendment. Because apparently even some Republicans believe that defunding clinics that offer sex education, contraception, and cancer screenings is bad politics. Will they prevail?

A few prominent conservatives have jumping on the logic bandwagon and opposing defunding, including donor Richard Scaife, who had the temerity to suggest that “Abortions are a minor aspect of Planned Parenthood‘s mission to provide reproductive health care, education and other services to Americans, regardless of income.” Sounds like socialism to us.

Of the two-week stopgap budget passed in order to avert a government shutdown, John Boehner recently said, “There will be an opportunity some time in order to win the big war, and we’re looking for that opportunity. don’t think this short-term CR is the opportunity that will get us there.” The big war, in case you’re not following, is getting rid of Title X. As Politico’s Sarah Kliff points out, Boehner declined to say that it was worth the government shutdown:

Brody: So in essence you’re saying if it comes to that you’re not going to shut down the government over the defunding of Planned Parenthood.

Speaker Boehner: There are a lot of options on the table but I don’t think in the short term CR (Continuing Resolution) this is the opportunity we’re looking for.

Kliff says that the current stance of the conservative leadership “a marked shift from late January, when Boehner was calling anti-abortion issues ‘one of the highest legislative priorities’ in his first news conference of the 112th Congress.” Could it be that the blustery rhetoric and taking legislative cues from Operation Rescue have been tempered by massive outcry and the realities of political negotiation? Particularly after Democrats loudly pointed out how radical of a move it was and how little it had to do with the economy? Given that the Pence Amendment’s only hope is to get slipped into a compromise in the Senate, we certainly hope so.

No Planned Parenthood Showdown? [Politico]
Speaker Boehner To Brody File On Hill Fight To Defund Planned Parenthood [CBN]