By Sarah Mac Donald - 06 December, 2015
The US Senate has voted to defund Planned Parenthood and to repeal some of the provisions of the Affordable Care Act popularly known as Obamacare healthcare reform.
By a vote of 52-47, the Senate passed legislation to defund Planned Parenthood which has recently been embroiled in a scandal over the sale of body parts from aborted babies.
The revelations, obtained through undercover videos, showed executives of the biggest player in the global abortion industry haggling over the sale price of harvested aborted baby parts. The footage sparked outrage and calls for the organisation to be defunded.
However, the bill is not expected to become law as it is likely to be vetoed by the US president, Barack Obama.
The Republicans, who largely backed the repeal, do not have the two-thirds majority needed to override that veto.
Responding to the vote outcome, Marjorie Jones Dannenfelser, President of the Susan B. Anthony List, an American political organisation that seeks to advance pro-life women in politics, commented that the vote was “a landmark victory for all who prioritise comprehensive women’s health care over abortion industry profits”.
She added, “If Americans elect a pro-life president next year, and safeguard our pro-life majorities in Congress, this bill – and many others – could be law by 2017.”
Family Research Council president Tony Perkins described the vote as “a huge victory for unborn children, their mothers, and for taxpayers.”
