Washington, D.C. – Earlier this week, legislation that would have provided $ 1.1 billion in funding, as well as other emergency health measures, to combat the outbreak of the Zika Virus failed to invoke cloture by a 52-48 vote, mostly along party lines. Democrat leaders primarily opposed the bill because it does not include the seven Planned Parenthood clinics that make up the Profamilia affiliate in Puerto Rico as a funding recipient. Jeanne Mancini of the March for Life has provided the following comment on the failure in the Senate of the Zika Virus prevention bill:

“It’s unfathomable to think that Democrats are so beholden to the abortion industry that they have blocked legislation that is desperately needed to prevent a public health epidemic and protect women’s health and unborn babies from serious birth defects, just because Planned Parenthood doesn’t get a cut of the money,” said Jeanne Mancini, President of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund. “Partisan politics has no bearing or place in this conversation. This is a setback for true women’s health as we’ll likely hear of more and more Zika infected women and babies now that prevention steps have been thwarted. Shame on the Senate Democrats for obstructing this bill and I pray that they remember their duty to serve the people, not the abortion industry.”

The March for Life in Washington, D.C., began as a small demonstration on January 22, 1974, the first anniversary of the now-infamous Supreme Court decisions in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton and rapidly grew to be the largest pro-life event in the world.  The peaceful demonstration that has followed on this somber anniversary every year since is a witness to the truth concerning the greatest human rights violation of our time, abortion.

Jeanne Mancini, President of the March for Life Education & Defense Fund is available for commentary. For more information, please contact Andrew Shirley at Ashirley@SBPublicAffairs.com or (703) 739-5920.

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