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Will a government shutdown over Planned Parenthood even achieve its aim?

By Rebecca Downs

[caption id=”attachment_142618″ align=”aligncenter” width=”640″] AP photo 

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The issue of funding Planned Parenthood is a relevant one as the possibility of a government shutdown looms. As it turns out though, even if a shutdown were to happen, the organization would still be funded.

Eighteen Republicans in the House of Representatives have signed a letter announcing they will not sign any legislation which funds the abortion provider. And many more are on board with defunding the organization through a vote.

Legislation must pass to fund the federal government by Oct. 1. If it does not though, Planned Parenthood will still receive money. Its Obamacare and Medicaid funding is not affected by continuing resolutions.

A report from the Congressional Research Service also explains that Planned Parenthood could still receive other forms of funds. This includes “programs that receive direct appropriations (i.e., mandatory funding) in authorizing law” and “programs that have multi-year budget authority.”

The Weekly Standard writes in its headline that “A Government Shutdown Would Likely Be A Disaster for the Pro-Life Cause.” An explanation is offered later in the piece:

In all likelihood, a shutdown would not only fail to defund Planned Parenthood, it could do serious harm to more important efforts to protect the lives of unborn children. It would immediately change the debate from a discussion of Planned Parenthood’s victims to problems caused by a government shutdown. If a shutdown ends up handing the presidency to Hillary Clinton, that would foreclose the possibility of banning late-term abortion and taxpayer-funded abortion under Obamacare for at least four more years. If a Democratic president gets to replace either Kennedy or Scalia on the Supreme Court, a bloc of five solidly liberal justices couldinvalidate modest restrictions on abortion and the Hyde amendment, which bans direct federal funding of almost all abortions under Medicaid and saves tens of thousands of lives each year.


The piece also mentions:

Advocates of a shutdown strategy acknowledge that a shutdown itself wouldn’t halt funding to Planned Parenthood. Their argument is that a shutdown would eventually pressure enough filibustering Senate Democrats and President Obama to agree to strip Planned Parenthood of all its funding.


It seems the 18 Republicans and other advocates of the shutdown have a choice to make then. Is the goal in mind to be achieved worthwhile and will such a move send the right message?

If the federal government were to shutdown, a plurality of voters would blame the GOP. A majority of voters, including Republicans, also do not want a shutdown over Planned Parenthood.

 

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