Planned Parenthood

Ron Johnson Said Planned Parenthood Should Stop Performing Abortions

Ron Johnson: “Planned Parenthood Could Separate Themselves Completely. I Don’t Think Any American Should Have Their Taxpayer Dollars Go Toward Something They Find Morally Wrong.” According to GrayDC, “Planned Parenthood can’t legally use the money to perform abortions, but some argue the government is providing a financial cushion for the clinics. ‘Planned Parenthood could separate themselves completely. I don’t think any American should have their taxpayer dollars go toward something they find morally wrong. And that’s basically what happens when you start funding an organization that is in the abortion business,’ said Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis. Republican members of Congress say their problem isn’t with Planned Parenthood, but with the abortion services the clinics provide.” [GrayDC, 1/12/17]

Ron Johnson Said He Was Sympathetic To Americans Who Do Not Want Their Tax Dollars Going To Planned Parenthood. According to Beloit Daily News, “One attendee asked about how the possibility of defunding Planned Parenthood and the overturning of Roe v. Wade – which establishes abortion rights on a federal level – will affect women’s health. Johnson said he’s sympathetic to Americans who don’t want tax dollars to fund abortions. He said women would be redirected to other available clinics, so he doesn’t see any danger to women’s health.” [Beloit Daily News, 7/27/18]

Ron Johnson Voted For A Repeal That Would Defund Planned Parenthood

2017: Ron Johnson Voted For The So Called “Skinny Repeal” Version Of Trumpcare, Which Defunded Planned Parenthood For One Year. In July 2017, Johnson voted for the Health Care Freedom Act, also known as “skinny repeal.” According to Vox, “The Health Care Freedom Act is the Senate Republicans’ last-ditch attempt to repeal Obamacare. Released around 10 o’clock Thursday night, it is expected to come to a vote early Friday morning. […] This HCFA would repeal the Affordable Care Act’s mandate that all Americans carry coverage. It would nix the requirement that large employers provide coverage to all workers, too. The bill includes a three-year repeal of the medical device tax and a one-year defunding of Planned Parenthood.” The vote was on the amendment. The Senate rejected the amendment by a vote of 49 to 51. [Senate Vote 179, 7/28/17; Vox, 7/27/17; Congressional Actions, S. Amdt. 667; Congressional Actions, S. Amdt. 267; Congressional Actions, H.R. 1628]

Vox: “‘Skinny” Repeal Isn’t Skinny At All.” According to Vox, “‘Skinny’ repeal isn’t skinny at all. […] Here’s why: Skinny repeal isn’t really that skinny at all. Rolling back the individual mandate would cause an estimated 15 million to 16 million Americans to lose coverage, according to Congressional Budget Office analyses of that policy. The nonpartisan office expects that premiums would rise 20 percent in the individual market.” [Vox, 7/27/17]

2017: Ron Johnson Voted For A “Repeal And Delay” Version Of Trumpcare That Would Have Repealed Significant Portions Of The Affordable Care Act, Such As Sunsetting The Medicaid Expansion, Repealing The Individual Mandate And Defunded Planned Parenthood. In July 2017, Johnson voted for the Obamacare Repeal Reconciliation Act of 2017. According to Congressional Quarterly, the legislation would have “sunset Medicaid expansion and certain taxes created under the 2010 health care overhaul, repeal[ed] the individual and employer mandates, would [have] exclude[d] health plans that cover abortion from certain tax credits and would [have] ban[ned] federal funding for abortion providers that receive at least $1 million in federal funding annually.” The underlying legislation was the reconciliation vehicle for Trumpcare. The Senate rejected the amendment by a vote of 45 to 55. [Senate Vote 169, 7/26/17; Congressional Quarterly, 7/25/17; Congressional Actions, S. Amdt. 271; Congressional Actions, S. Amdt. 267; Congressional Actions, H.R. 1628]

Ron Johnson Effectively Voted To Disapprove A Health And Human Service Rule That Would Withhold Title X Funds To States That Restrict Funds To PLanned Parenthood

2017: Ron Johnson Voted To Disapprove A Rule That Would Have Effectively Withheld Title X Funds To States That Restrict Title X Funds To Planned Parenthood. In March 2017, Johnson voted for disapproving the HHS rule related to Title X funding compliance via the Congressional Review Act. According to Congressional Quarterly, “This resolution disapproves the rule issued by the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) on Dec. 19, 2016, that modifies eligibility requirements for Title X grants for family planning services to specify that states and other entities awarding funds cannot prohibit a health care provider from participating for reasons other than its ability to provide Title X services (which effectively threatens to withhold Title X money from states that restrict participation by Planned Parenthood). The measure provides that the rule (formally titled Compliance With Title X Requirements by Project Recipients in Selecting Subrecipients) would have no force or effect.” The vote was on passage. The Senate passed the resolution by a vote of 50 to 50 with Vice President Pence breaking the tie in favor of the bill. The legislation later became law. [Senate Vote 101, 3/30/17; Congressional Quarterly, 2/10/17; Congressional Actions, H. J. Res. 43]

HHS Rule Required That States Can Only Deny Funding For A Group Based On Its Ability To Provide Title X Services. According to Congressional Quarterly, “On Dec. 19, 2016, HHS finalized a rule modifying eligibility requirements for Title X grants for family planning services, which specified that no state or other recipient distributing funds can prohibit an entity from participating and receiving funds for reasons other than its ability to provide Title X services. If states or other entities are found to not be in compliance, HHS could discontinue its funding, subject to administrative appeals and a recoupment and re-awarding of funds. The rule effectively threatens to withhold Title X funds from states that have restrictions against participation by Planned Parenthood. The final rule became effective on Jan. 18, 2017.” [Congressional Quarterly, 2/10/17]
Some States Have Attempted To Defund A Portion Of Planned Parenthood Funding By Denying Funds Through Title X. According to Congressional Quarterly, “Within the past few years, 13 states have taken actions to restrict participation by certain providers under the Title X program — most prominently, Planned Parenthood. HHS officials in the Obama administration argued that these actions were motivated by politics and not the provider's ability to provide Title X services, noting that the restrictions caused limitations in the geographic distribution of services. Some states have implemented a tiered approach to distribute Title X funds that gives preference to comprehensive primary care providers or community health centers, while others have explicitly prohibited specific providers from being eligible to receive Title X funds. Litigation concerning these restrictions has led to inconsistency across states in how Title X funds are distributed.” [Congressional Quarterly, 2/10/17]
Title X Family Planning Is The Only Federal Grant Program Dedicated To Family Planning; Program Helps About 4 Million People Annually, Including Through Pregnancy Testing And STD Screening. According to Congressional Quarterly, “The Title X Family Planning Program within the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) was enacted in 1970 as part of the Public Health Service Act and remains the only federal program focused solely on providing family planning services. An estimated 4 million individuals each year receive services through thousands of Title X-funded health centers across the country, including contraceptive services, pregnancy testing and counseling, preconception health services, screening for sexually transmitted diseases and certain cancer screenings.” [Congressional Quarterly, 2/10/17]
Title X Funds Cannot Be Used To Fund Abortion, But Organizations That Provide Abortion Services Can Receive Funding. According to Congressional Quarterly, “Current law bars the use of Title X funds for abortion, but it allows states that receive grants to award funds to nonprofits and other entities to serve as providers for the covered family planning services. In some states, Title X service providers include members of Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc., a network of clinics that provide contraception and preventive health care for women but which is also the largest provider of abortion services in the nation.” [Congressional Quarterly, 2/10/17]
Planned Parenthood Receives About $60 Million Annually From Title X Out Of $450 Million Annually From The Federal Government. According to Congressional Quarterly, “For years, abortion opponents have been trying to eliminate or restrict federal funding for Planned Parenthood. The organization receives roughly $450 million in federal funds each year, with $390 million coming from Medicaid reimbursements and $60 million coming from Title X.” [Congressional Quarterly, 2/10/17]

Ron Johnson Voted To Defund Planned Parenthood

2018: Ron Johnson Voted To Defund Planned Parenthood. In August 2018, Johnson voted for an amendment that would have, according to Congressional Quarterly, “prohibit[ed] federal funds from going to Planned Parenthood.” The underlying legislation was an FY 2019 Labor, HHS, Education and Defense appropriations bill. The Senate rejected the amendment by a vote of 45 to 48. [Senate Vote 191, 8/23/18; Congressional Quarterly, 8/23/18; Congressional Actions, S. Amdt. 3967; Congressional Actions, S. Amdt. 3695; Congressional Actions, H.R. 6157]