PenceBlog: <i>Baptist Press:</i> Pence challenges Planned Parenthood funding - U.S. Congressman Mike Pence : 6th District Of Indiana

Baptist Press has an excellent story today on Congressman Pence's challenge to federal funding for Planned Parenthood. Here is an excerpt:

Now, federal and state office holders, as well as enterprising pro-lifers outside government, are seeking not only to uncover Planned Parenthood's practices but to diminish its influence and public funding.

Congressman Mike Pence is one of those. The Indiana Republican tried this summer to eliminate a sizable portion of Planned Parenthood's government grants, sponsoring an amendment that would have ended funding of the organization under Title X, the federal government's family planning program.

The House of Representatives defeated Pence's amendment in a 231-189 vote in July, meaning Planned Parenthood remains the largest recipient of Title X funding.

The action, however, marked an apparent first. There had never been such an "up-or-down vote" on funding for Planned Parenthood, according to his congressional sources, said Jim Sedlak, vice president of the American Life League (ALL).

In a statement on his website, Pence explained his reasoning behind offering such an amendment to a spending bill for the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services, noting that "millions of pro-life Americans should not be asked to fund the leading abortion provider in the United States."

posted by Pence Press Office # 1:50 PM