Congresswoman introduces bill that will redirect taxpayer funding away from Planned Parenthood

A congresswoman from Tennessee has introduced a bill that would take away taxpayer funding from Planned Parenthood and reallocate the money to health community centers that do not perform abortions.

A legislation to strip away taxpayer funding from the abortion business has been introduced in 2015, but it was vetoed by President Barack Obama. On Friday, Rep. Diane Black reintroduced H.R. 354 or the Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2017, Life News reported.

The bill would place a one-year moratorium on all federal funding for Planned Parenthood and its affiliates and associated clinics until it certifies that it will no longer perform elective abortions or provide funding to entities that do.

"Planned Parenthood's grand deception is quickly collapsing," Black said in a statement.

"For too long, this organization has cashed in on our tax dollars – to the tune of more than $550 million a year – all while performing more than 320,000 abortions during the same length of time. Abortion is not healthcare, yet it is the centerpiece of Planned Parenthood's mission," she added.

House Speaker Paul Ryan had announced last week that the upcoming bill to overturn the Affordable Care Act would also strip federal funding for Planned Parenthood.

In response to Ryan's announcement, Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards said: "Regardless of what Paul Ryan says and what he does, we are not going away, and we are not going anywhere. You can't completely end a public health care system in America and not think about what the impact will be on the folks who have least access to care."

The Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives has recently concluded its investigation into the abortion industry's alleged sales of aborted fetal parts and made the recommendation to block federal funds from going to Planned Parenthood.

Black, who is a member of the panel, reiterated that the bill will not cut funding for public health, and it will provide $235 million to community health centers that do not perform abortions, in addition to the reallocated funds from Planned Parenthood.

Several pro-life groups including Susan B. Anthony List, National Right to Life, Family Research Council, March for Life, Concerned Women for America, Students for Life, Priests for Life, Operation Rescue, and American Life League have expressed support for the bill to defund the abortion provider.