The president of Planned Parenthood on Friday called on President Trump’s daughter Ivanka to step into debate over the House GOP’s bill to repeal and replace ObamaCare.
“It’s time for Ivanka to … stand for women,” Cecile Richards told BuzzFeed, saying Ivanka Trump’s silence on the legislation has been “deafening.”
“It’s wildly unpopular,” the Planned Parenthood head continued of the GOP plan, the American Health Care Act (AHCA). “This is going to be a catastrophe for women in this country.”
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Republican leaders are struggling to rally support ahead of a scheduled Friday vote on the AHCA, which includes a provision for stripping all federal funding from Planned Parenthood.
President Trump mentioned the defunding provision in tweets Friday morning urging the House Freedom Caucus to support the bill.
“The irony is that the Freedom Caucus, which is very pro-life and against Planned Parenthood, allows P.P. to continue if they stop this plan!” Trump tweeted.
“After seven horrible years of ObamaCare (skyrocketing premiums & deductibles, bad healthcare), this is finally your chance for a great plan!”
Federal funds are not currently permitted for use on abortions, but Planned Parenthood has been reimbursed for other services covered by Medicaid, like cancer screenings and STI tests.
Richards said Friday that female lawmakers from both political parties should oppose the bill due to its impact on their gender.
“Any woman who votes for this bill is betraying every woman in America,” she said. “Women will lose not just their healthcare, but lose their lives over this bill.”
“It’s pretty clear they would do anything to pass this disastrous plan…to see the photographs of the [House] Freedom Caucus, this supposedly pro-family group, literally bargaining away the rights to maternity care benefits, birth control benefits.”
Republican leaders cannot afford more than 22 defections in the House, assuming all Democrats oppose the AHCA during a Friday vote.
Thirty-four House Republicans oppose the legislation, according to The Hill’s latest Whip List, making its passage in the lower chamber uncertain.