WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today joined Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) in introducing the Protect Funding for Women’s Health Care Act, which would prevent any taxpayer dollars from going to the nation’s single largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood, while protecting federal funding for women’s health care services. The bill comes at a time when the Biden administration looks to reverse a rule that prevents Title X funds from going to abortion providers. 

“America is home to many health care providers that deliver essential medical services to women, but Planned Parenthood is not one of them. Planned Parenthood remains more concerned with ending unborn lives than protecting vulnerable women. The Protect Funding for Women’s Health Care Act would allow women’s health care providers to continue providing crucial care and make sure that Louisiana taxpayers aren’t bankrolling America’s largest abortion mill against their will,” said Kennedy.

“We must always fight to protect the most vulnerable of our society, the unborn. Sadly, President Biden is working to reverse a rule from the previous administration that prevented taxpayer money from going toward abortion providers. Iowans should not be forced to fund organizations like Planned Parenthood, the nation’s single largest provider of abortions, and this legislation will help put an end to this practice and redirect those funds to eligible women’s health care providers,” said Ernst. 

The Protect Funding for Women’s Health Care Act prohibits taxpayer dollars from going to Planned Parenthood. Instead, the bill redirects those funds to other eligible women’s health care providers and ensures there is no reduction in federal funding for women’s health services.

Specifically, the Protect Funding for Women’s Health Care Act would: 

• Prohibit the federal funding of Planned Parenthood Federation of America or any of its affiliate organizations.
• Forbid Planned Parenthood from being eligible for any federal dollars, including through mandatory expenditures or unobligated funding of individual agencies.
• Protect federal funding for health services for women, including diagnostic laboratory and radiology services, well-child care, prenatal and postnatal care, immunizations, cervical and breast cancer screenings and more.
• Prevent reduction in overall federal funding available to support women’s health.

Kennedy previously introduced the Pregnant Women Health and Safety Act and the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act, which protect vulnerable women and children in the womb. 

Text of the Protect Funding for Women’s Health Care Act is available here.