WASHINGTON, DC, Jan. 7, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A pro-life member of the House of Representatives has introduced a measure that would strip Planned Parenthood, the largest provider of abortions in America, of federal Title X funds.
The Planned Parenthood Federation revealed that in 2008 it performed 324,008 abortions, and received $363 million in government grants and contracts. It is unclear how much of those funds were from Title X, which are earmarked for family planning for low-income families.
The Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act, introduced by U.S. Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN) on Friday, currently has 122 cosponsors in the newly Republican-dominated House.
“It is morally wrong to end an unborn human life by abortion. It is also morally wrong to take the taxpayer dollars of millions of pro-life Americans and use them to promote abortion at home or abroad,” said Pence in a statement. “The largest abortion provider in America should not also be the largest recipient of federal funding under Title X.”
Pence said the new legislation would prevent any abortion-providing organization, including Planned Parenthood, from receiving Title X funds. However, the bill would not reduce the total amount of Title X funds and would free more federal monies to groups that do not provide abortion.
Pence’s office noted that Title X is the only federal grant program dedicated solely to providing comprehensive family planning and related preventative health services, and there are a number of federally funded clinics across the nation that offer beneficial services including patient counseling, breast cancer screenings, HIV prevention education and more.
Planned Parenthood is currently under investigation in multiple states including Indiana, California, Alabama and Tennessee for allegations of fraudulent use of Title X funding.