Blumenthal, Murphy host forum on fate of Planned Parenthood

Connecticut's two senators were among leaders who hosted a forum on the fate of Planned Parenthood in Stamford Thursday, even as President Donald Trump moved to defund the organization. Supporters said they had gotten a bit of a victory a few weeks ago when the Republicans' bill to undo the Affordable Care Act failed to come to a vote. On Thursday, however, the president signed a new law that allows states to block some federal money to the organization. Despite the president's acti...

News 12 Staff

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Apr 19, 2017, 5:00 PM

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Updated 2,807 days ago

Blumenthal, Murphy host forum on fate of Planned Parenthood

Connecticut's two senators were among leaders who hosted a forum on the fate of Planned Parenthood in Stamford Thursday, even as President Donald Trump moved to defund the organization.

Supporters said they had gotten a bit of a victory a few weeks ago when the Republicans' bill to undo the Affordable Care Act failed to come to a vote. On Thursday, however, the president signed a new law that allows states to block some federal money to the organization.

Despite the president's action, supporters of Planned Parenthood are still celebrating the GOP's failure to pass a replacement for the ACA. That bill would have cut off federal funds to Planned Parenthood for a year, which could have forced clinics to close across the country and in Connecticut.

In addition to the closures, some patients would lose coverage for the remaining clinics if the plan had succeeded in cutting Medicaid.

Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal say they expect another attack on the organization. They say they're trying to gather enough support to push back against further efforts to defund it.

Susan Yolen, the vice president for policy and advocacy of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, says there's still some hope.

"I think it will be hard for them to come up with the votes they need to do it," he says. "They'll try again, and so we'll be watching for that and prepared."

If federal funds do dry up, a Planned Parenthood spokesperson says state lawmakers have a chance to protect funding by reallocating state Medicaid dollars.