Rep. Lauren Boebert Introduces Bill to Defund Planned Parenthood

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) introduced her first piece of legislation for the 118th Congress.

She proposed the “Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2023.”

The bill would prohibit federal funding of Planned Parenthood.

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) introduced legislation on Friday to prohibit federal funding of Planned Parenthood.

— DailyNoah.com (@DailyNoahNews) January 21, 2023

“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,” Boebert tweeted on Friday.

“To all those marching at the March For Life, let’s rally behind this bill and get it done!”

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!https://t.co/RGKzJDd0te

— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) January 20, 2023

The bill states:

IN GENERAL.—For the one-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, subject to sub-section (b), no funds authorized or appropriated by Federal law may be made available for any purpose to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., or any affiliate or clinic of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., unless such entities certify that Planned Parenthood Federation of America affiliates and clinics will not perform, and will not provide any funds to any other entity that performs, an abortion during such period. (b) EXCEPTION.—Subsection (a) shall not apply to an abortion— (1) if the pregnancy is the result of an act of rape or incest; or (2) in the case where a woman suffers from a physical disorder, physical injury, or physical illness that would, as certified by a physician, place the woman in danger of death unless an abortion is performed, including a life-endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself. (c) REPAYMENT.—The Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Agriculture shall seek repayment of any Federal assistance received by Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., or any affiliate or clinic of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., if it violates the terms of the certification required by subsection (a) during the period specified in 2 subsection (a).

“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 said about the bill.

“There’s no single entity that stands to make a profit off the violence of abortion more than Planned Parenthood. Deceitfully, Planned Parenthood guises their business model as one that helps women while their latest annual report shows they made $633 MILLION from taxpayers while ending 383,460 little lives in that same time frame. Screening services to help women were all down by double digit percentages proving they’re in the business of abortion,” Kristan Hawkins, President of Students for Life of America said.

Fox News reported:

Annual taxpayer funding to Planned Parenthood facilities in 2022 exceeded $633 million.

The legislation redirects funding from Planned Parenthood facilities to “Federally Qualified Health Centers” that provide health care services such as pap smears, cancer screenings, and prenatal care.

“Instead of funding Planned Parenthood, my bill will redirect this funding to community health centers that focus on healthy women, not killing babies,” she added.

The Defund Planned Parenthood Act has been cosigned by 29 members of the House of Representatives so far.

The list of co-sponsors include: Rep. Robert Aderholt (AL-04), Rep. Jodey Arrington (TX-19), Rep. Brian Babin (TX-36), Rep. Dan Bishop (NC-08), Rep. Mike Bost (IL-12), Rep. Ken Buck (CO-04), Rep. Ben Cline (VA-06), Rep. Andrew Clyde (GA-09), Rep. Jeff Duncan (SC-03), Rep. Ron Estes (KS-04), Rep. Pat Fallon (TX-04), Rep. Randy Feenstra (IA-04), Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03), Rep. Matt Gaetz (FL-01), Rep. Bob Good (VA-05), Rep. Paul Gosar (AZ-09), Rep. Glenn Grothman (WI-06), Rep. Michael Guest (MS-03), Rep. Andy Harris (MD-01), Rep. Diana Harshbarger (TN-01), Rep. Clay Higgins (LA-03), Rep. Mike Johnson (LA-04), Rep. Brian Mast (FL-21), Rep. Mary Miller (IL-15), Rep. John Moolenaar (MI-02), Rep. Alex Mooney (WV-02), Rep. Bill Posey (FL-08), Rep. Matt Rosendale (MT-02) and Rep. Robert Wittman (VA-01).

Read the bill in its entirety below: