Joni Ernst responds to concerned Iowan

By JONI ERNST

Senator Joni ErnstThank you for taking the time to contact me about federal policies impacting life and funding for Planned Parenthood Federation of America. It is important for me to hear from folks in Iowa on matters such as this.

I am committed to defending life, because protecting our most vulnerable is an important measure of any society. In fulfillment of that commitment, I have supported a number of measures to protect the sanctity of life at every stage of development, safeguard women’s health, and shine a light on the realities of abortion.

On January 16, 2019, I introduced a bill to redirect federal funding away from Planned Parenthood of America – the nation’s single largest provider of abortions. This legislation would ensure the preservation of federal funding for women’s health care services, as funds no longer available to Planned Parenthood would continue to be offered to other eligible entities such as federally qualified health centers. Not only do federally qualified health centers greatly outnumber Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide, but they also provide greater preventative and primary health care services – including voluntary family planning services, excluding abortion – regardless of a person’s ability to pay.

Taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize the abortion industry, nor should they be forced to foot the bill for an organization like Planned Parenthood. As such, I am also a cosponsor of the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2019. This legislation would codify the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funds from paying for abortion, and improve disclosure requirements related to insurance coverage of abortion.

Please know that I will continue to keep your views in mind moving forward. Feel free to contact my office with additional information, as I always appreciate hearing from Iowans.

[This is the letter an Iowans for LIFE board member received from Senator Joni Ernst to an inquiry about taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood.]

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