Rand Paul Promises To Push Vote To Defund Planned Parenthood

During an appearance on Fox News Sunday this morning, Republican Rand Paul promised to push a vote on his bill that would defund Planned Parenthood. “I’m going to try to force a vote on this,” Paul said. “I think the time is now to discuss whether taxpayer dollars should be going to such a gruesome procedure.”

He was referencing the largely discredited “sting” video produced by the Center for Medical Progress, a group with deep ties to the anti-abortion movement. The video claims that Planned Parenthood is illegally harvesting and selling fetal body parts. Despite the fact that the heavily edited video shows nothing illegal, Republicans have used the video as leverage to renew their attacks on Planned Parenthood. “People are outraged by this and I think the American people deserve to have a vote on it,” Paul said as he joined the growing bandwagon.

Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards appeared on ABC News where she called the effort a “political smear campaign.” She noted that clinics in only five states ask for fetal tissue donation: “Women at a very few places are allowed to donate fetal tissue for life-saving research. This is laudable, that women and their families choose to make available fetal tissue in order to save other folks.”