Senate Democrats Block Move to Defund Planned Parenthood

Senate Democrats blocked a proposal to defund Planned Parenthood Monday.

The Republican proposal failed to reach a 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a filibuster in a 53-46 vote that fell mostly along party lines. Only two Democrats, Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Joe Donnelly of Indiana, backed the bill.

The proposal came after a series of undercover videos were released by the Center for Medical Progress, a group of anti-abortion activists, which showed Planned Parenthood staffers and others who work with the organization discussing fetal tissue donations. The legislation was sponsored by Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa.

The bill’s failure does not mean the fight is over, however. Some House Republicans have said they won’t vote for any government funding bills which contain money for Planned Parenthood.

The dispute has entered the 2016 presidential contest as well. In a two-minute web video released Monday, Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton defended Planned Parenthood, arguing that Republicans are engaged in a “full-on assault on women’s health.”

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination, told the Dallas Morning News he will consider all procedural tools to defund the organization.