Senator Ernst Speaks at March for Life

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst today addressed the crowd at this year’s March for Life rally. In her remarks, Senator Ernst announced she will introduce two pieces of legislation on Monday: a bill that redirects funds from Planned Parenthood to other eligible women's health care providers, and a measure to scrap the Department of Health and Human Services’ new rule to amend regulations implementing the Title X Family Planning Program. 

Click here or on the image below to watch.

The following is the full text of Senator Ernst’s remarks:

God bless you all! Thank you so much. Thanks for being here.

What I am wishing today, above all else. What I am wishing for all Americans whether they are born or unborn, is that they know peace, that they know love, and that they all might be touched by the grace of God.

Thank you all so much for being here and standing up for life!

This is important – we know how important it is.

Back in 2015, I introduced a measure to redirect federal dollars for women’s health care away from Planned Parenthood and give that money to places like community health centers, which provide greater health care services, regardless of a person’s ability to pay.

Because as we all know, Planned Parenthood is the nation’s single largest provider of abortions.

Thanks to the help and support of all of you, we saw a bipartisan – let me stress bipartisan – majority support my measure – and ultimately, we sent it to the president’s desk!

But unfortunately folks, back then we didn’t have a president that respected life, and he stopped us.

Thankfully today is a different story. Today as you heard Vice President Pence, we have a Pro-Life President!

We must keep fighting for those who are unable to protect themselves. So, I am thrilled to announce today that this coming Monday, I will re-introduce that critical legislation to redirect Planned Parenthood funding to other eligible women's health care providers.

I am also going to introduce a bill Monday to stop what some have referred to as “President Obama’s last gift to Planned Parenthood.”  Title X.

Representative Diane Black is joining me in this effort, and it would scrap the Obama administration’s eleventh-hour rule that entrenches federal family planning funding for Planned Parenthood.

We as a pro-life community honor the civil liberties, independence, and strength of a woman – all women. And that means both supporting mothers and rising up to protect the most vulnerable in our society -- the innocent babies who are unable to defend themselves.

As a mother, a grandmother, and a woman--thank you for joining me today, and standing up and marching for life!

God bless all of you. And again, I want to say thank you God for giving us this day, thank you all for being here, and again, we wish all Americans peace, love and that they will be touched by the grace of God.

About Senator Ernst’s legislation to redirect federal funds from Planned Parenthood to other eligible women's health care providers:

• Prohibits federal funding of Planned Parenthood Federation of America or any of its affiliate organizations.
• Protects 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.
• Ensures there is no reduction in overall federal funding available to support women’s health.

About Senator Ernst and Representative Diane Black’s (R-TN) bicameral legislation to scrap an eleventh-hour rule from the Obama administration that cements federal family planning funding for Planned Parenthood:

• The rule currently secures federal Title X family planning grants for Planned Parenthood and interferes with states’ ability to make their own decisions about the best eligible providers for their citizens.
• This legislation would eliminate the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) final rule to amend regulations implementing the Title X Family Planning Program.

Click here to read Senator Ernst and Representative Black’s column in today’s Washington Examiner.

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