Contact: J.P. Duffy or Alice Chao, 866-FRC-NEWS, 866-372-6397; both with Family Research Council
 
WASHINGTON, Dec. 3, 2015 /Christian Newswire/ -- Family Research Council commends the U.S. Senate for the defeat of amendments by Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) to H.R. 3762, which would have removed from the reconciliation bill a significant pro-life provision effectively defunding 80 percent of Planned Parenthood's federal funding for one year.

The Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act, H.R. 3762, restricts for one year funding under several mandatory programs such as Medicaid to entities that receive more than $350 million and which perform abortions, other than for cases resulting from rape or incest or cases in which the life of the mother is at risk. The reconciliation bill also repeals key provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which encourage subsidies for abortion coverage and which threaten conscience.

Family Research Council's Vice President for Government Affairs, David Christensen, made the following statement about the defeated amendments:

"The defeat of the Murray and Collins amendments is a victory for the American people.  Across the country, people are tired of being forced by the federal government to partner with the abortion industry, including those engaged in the selling of baby body parts.  This legislation protects women's health by reallocating funds to community health centers that provide a broader array of health services.

"The pro-life community stood together to advocate removing the flow of most tax dollars to Planned Parenthood through the budget reconciliation process, and the Senate rightly rejected efforts to force federal complicity in funding abortion groups. We look forward to final passage of the bill later this evening," concluded Christensen.