Lauren Boebert Unveils Bill To Defund Planned Parenthood

Daniel ChaitinJanuary 20, 2023

Rep. Lauren Boebert On Friday, (R-CO), announced legislation to defund Planned Parenthood as thousands of people gathered in Washington, D.C. for the March for Life — the first time the annual event has been held since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

“I’ve introduced my first bill of the 118th Congress. It would defund Planned Parenthood. We need to protect the sanctity of life in this country. To all those marching at the March For Life, let’s rally behind this bill and get it done!” Boebert said in a tweet.

More than $633 million in taxpayers’ dollars went to Planned Parenthood affiliates for the year ending June 30, 2021, the group said in its most recent annual report covering 2020-2021. The group offers a variety of health services for women and also recognizes 383,460 abortion procedures. This is an increase from 354,871 in the previous report.

The Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the group’s advocacy arm, has a page on its website It is claimed that politicians use the word “political” to refer to it. “defunding” Planned Parenthood “they really mean blocking patients who depend on public health care funds from getting their care at Planned Parenthood health centers.”

Under Boebert’s legislation, which boasts 29 co-sponsorsFederal tax dollars cannot be transferred to Planned Parenthood, its affiliates, for a period of one year. This is unless the entities agree not to provide funds or services that are geared towards abortions. There are exceptions outlined for the moratorium, including for abortions in a pregnancy that are the result of an act of rape or incest, as well as in cases when the mother’s life is placed in danger.

The “Defund Planned Parenthood Act” Ordains secretaries from the Health and Human Services Department and Agriculture Departments to pursue repayment of any federal assistance Planned Parenthood and its affiliates receives. Boebert’s bill also aims to appropriate $235,000 to community health center programs under Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act.

“The nation’s largest abortion provider has no business receiving taxpayer dollars. Planned Parenthood claims these funds go to healthcare for women, but last year, Planned Parenthood performed a record number of abortions while also reducing the number of well-woman exams and breast cancer screenings it performed,” Boebert made the statement in a statement. “Instead of funding Planned Parenthood, my bill will redirect this funding to community health centers that actually meet the health needs of women across the country.”

Like many Republican bills over the years aimed to defund Planned Parenthood, this one is likely to be defeated. Although the GOP holds a slim majority of the House, Democrats who control both the Senate and the White House would likely oppose any such measure.

Still, Republicans remain undeterred. On the Senate side, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) announced Friday she will reintroduce the Protect Funding for Women’s Health Care Act, which a statement said “prohibits federal funding to Planned Parenthood or any of its affiliate organizations and redirects funds for other health services for women, such as cancer screenings, prenatal and postnatal care, immunizations, and other eligible services.”