Reining in Planned Parenthood: What Congress Is Doing and What You Can Do

As you know from recent Family Policy Alliance® reports, Planned Parenthood and the abortion lobby have been in high gear throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, doing all they can to seize the “opportunity” to perform more abortions and bolster their bottom line. From defying state orders to stop elective abortions, to requesting valuable personal protective equipment when it was desperately needed by frontline healthcare workers, to announcing telehealth abortions available in all 50 states, they have shown they will stop at nothing to expand their life-destroying business.

Last week, the news continued. Fox News first broke the story that Planned Parenthood affiliates erroneously received $80 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds. While they weren’t eligible for these taxpayer funds, they found a way to secure them – at least for now.

Thankfully, the Trump Administration is working to get the Planned Parenthood money back, and there are legislative proposals in both chambers of Congress to respond to pro-abortion power grabs.

In the House, Rep. Mike Conaway (R-TX) has introduced the Protecting Life in Crisis Act (H.R. 6742) to explicitly prohibit federal COVID-19 response funds from going towards abortions or abortion coverage. Conaway’s bill – which has 99 co-sponsors, including Statesmen Academy alumnus Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) – extends existing Hyde Amendment protections to any COVID-19-related bills. It also prevents federal tax credits from being used to cover any post-employment healthcare (COBRA) premiums that include abortion coverage.

In the Senate, Sen. Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) introduced legislation to prohibit chemical abortions without the supervision of a healthcare provider. The Teleabortion Prevention Act (S. 3252) would make it a federal offense for healthcare providers to perform a chemical abortion without first physically examining the patient, being present during the procedure, and scheduling a follow-up visit for the patient. It would also stop attempts by pro-abortion businesses like Planned Parenthood that use teleabortion to work around state law.

Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) recently introduced the Limiting Infant Fatality and Empowering Nonprofit Organization Workforces (LIFE NOW) Act. This bill would prohibit taxpayer dollars from funding abortion providers while also expanding the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to make more 501(c)(3) organizations eligible for federal funding. The LIFE NOW Act, which is co-sponsored by Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) and Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), will eliminate the affiliation rules and 500-employee cap to allow larger nonprofits and churches to receive PPP loans. This legislation would immediately help large churches, YMCAs and other worthy organizations that need assistance to stay afloat during this difficult time.

What can you do to advance pro-life policies in Congress and around the nation? One of the most important ways is to partner with Family Policy Alliance in electing solid prolife leaders to office—so they can carry the banner for life in state capitols and the U.S. Capitol. In recent elections, your support mobilized millions of pro-life voters to help elect a dozen pro-life U.S. senators, including most of the senators mentioned above. For example, in 2014, together we helped elect Bill Cassidy to the U.S. Senate with more than 300,000 mailers and a million phone calls to educate and mobilize Louisiana voters. Most recently, in 2018 we assisted Kevin Cramer in North Dakota with mail, on-the-ground phone banks, digital ads and video.

Now, several key U.S. Senate races are among our top election priorities for 2020. Will you help advance pro-life policies with your gift today?

For life,

Brittany Jones, Esq.
Policy Manager





P.S. As we reported to you last Friday, President Trump declared churches “essential” and called on governors to allow all houses of worship to open immediately.  As many churches make plans to do so this Sunday and in the coming weeks, the CDC has issued Guidance for Communities of Faith to assist.  The guidance includes detailed suggestions for how to achieve social distancing, help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and maintain a healthy environment for congregants and staff.  Please consider reviewing this information and sharing it with your pastor and church.