Bernie Sanders defends Planned Parenthood
Senator Bernie Sanders seems to be everywhere. He underwent hernia surgery yesterday and was back on the Senate floor in full defense of both the Affordable Care Act and Planned Parenthood.
Once again Republicans are attempting to defund Obamacare. Attached to the defunding bill is language intended to defund Planned Parenthood. Democrats are vowing to provide amendments to decouple that funding.
Bernie Sanders went to the floor looking strong. He provided a full throated defense for these programs that middle-class and poor Americans depend on.
“Instead of throwing seventeen million Americans off of health insurance,” Bernie Sanders said. “What we should be doing is expanding on the improvements of the Affordable Care Act to make healthcare a right of all people, not just a privilege. Further, let us be clear. And I think everybody here in the Senate understands this. The bill we are debating today is a complete waste of time. … Obama is not going to sign a bill repealing Obamacare.”
Bernie Sanders then went further.
“This bill doesn’t just cut the Affordable Care Act,” Sanders said. “It also eliminates funding for Planned Parenthood which provides healthcare services for nearly three million women each and every year.”
The irony is that the first thing Bernie Sanders said when he awoke from his hernia surgery was ‘Medicare for All.’ Sanders then went on to talk about the Colorado Springs shooting.
“What is clear is that Planned Parenthood has been the subject of vicious and unsubstantiated statements,” Sanders said. “Attacking an organization that provides critical care for millions of Americans, and in fact provides high quality care. I for one strongly support Planned Parenthood and the work that it is doing. In my view instead of trying to defund Planned Parenthood, we should be expanding funding so that every woman in this country gets the healthcare that she needs. Mr. President it is also my sincere hope that people throughout this country including my colleagues here in the Senate and across the Capitol and the House understand that bitter vitriolic rhetoric can have serious unintended consequences. Now is not the time to continue a witch hunt for an organization that provides critical healthcare services.”
One hopes they listen.