Murphy, Blumenthal stand with Planned Parenthood

Republicans added another loss to their age-old battle with Planned Parenthood on Monday when Senate Democrats blocked a bill to defund the group in a 53-46 vote. Among those defeating the bill: Connecticut Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy.

Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal

Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal

Earlier this month, pro-life Republicans seized on videos that appear to show Planned Parenthood officials discussing the sale of aborted fetal organs, which the group denies. But Democrats argued that the defunding would hurt patients who turn to Planned Parenthood for breast exams, cancer screenings and other services — not just abortion.

“Instead of the Senate moving forward to provide additional healthcare services to women, it has engaged in this onslaught and assault on women’s health care, taking a step back,” Blumenthal said in a Senate speech just hours before the vote.

In Connecticut, there are 64,000 Planned Parenthood patients and 17 facilities, most of which are located in medically under-served areas. Abortion accounts for three percent of the health care provider’s services, the rest of which are devoted to preventive care.

The Connecticut senators accused Republicans of using their assault of Planned Parenthood to garner votes in the 2016 election. Blumenthal called the bill a “stunt” and a “political charade,” and Murphy criticized Republicans of “playing with people’s lives” in a speech last week.

The fight isn’t over yet. Presidential hopeful Ted Cruz and 18 Republicans in the House have pledged to force Congress to defund Planned Parenthood by blocking a federal spending bill that must pass by Sept. 30 — a move that would risk a government shutdown.

“All you’ll do by creating this line in the sand once again is to shut down the federal government,” Murphy said about the threat, “sucking thousands of jobs out of our economy and leading to tens of thousands of stories of individual misery.”

Planned Parenthood denies Republican allegations that they harvest baby organs for profit, though the group does allow women who receive abortions to donate the fetal tissue for stem cell research.

Tatiana Cirisano