House Republicans announce vote to defund Planned Parenthood

A little more than a month after Senate Republicans tried (and failed) to defund Planned Parenthood, their colleagues in the House have taken up the issue. Tennessee Rep. Diane Black announced Friday that her bill to cut off all federal funds to the women’s health provider will take place next week.

From the (straightforwardly titled) Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2015:

This bill prohibits, for a one-year period, the availability of federal funds for any purpose to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., or any of its affiliates or clinics, unless they certify that the affiliates and clinics will not perform, and will not provide any funds to any other entity that performs, an abortion during such period.

The restriction will not apply in cases of rape or incest or where a physical condition endangers a woman’s life unless an abortion is performed.

The Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture must seek repayment of federal assistance received by Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., or any affiliate or clinic, if it violates the terms of the certification required by this Act.

On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on Planned Parenthood, which was basically just a forum for Republicans on the committee to express how much they want to ban abortion. There wasn’t much else to say, anyway: Planned Parenthood wasn’t invited to testify, and there has been no finding of wrongdoing in the organization’s participation in fetal tissue donation programs.