A Christian activist known to support conservative and pro-life causes has completely lost faith in Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell to lead the GOP’s efforts to defund Planned Parenthood.
Operation Rescue president and Center for Medical Progress co-founder Troy Newman is calling for McConnell to step down from his post as Senate Majority Leader, effectively demanding new leadership to take control of the upper legislative chamber in Washington, DC.
Following the collapse of the Graham-Cassidy bill, the Republican Party’s third attempt to “repeal and replace” Obamacare, the federal government is once again forced to fund Planned Parenthood for another year. Newman credits the bill’s failure to McConnell’s lax leadership capabilities, which he says does a disservice to all Christian Americans.
“I am extremely disappointed in the Republican members of the U.S. Senate who could not band together to get this bill done,” Newman said in a statement quoted by Christian NewsWire. “It angers me that we have to fund Planned Parenthood for another year. This means Planned Parenthood will have the resources it needs to continue its killing spree, and thousands of lives will be lost because of it.”
Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the United States, has come under fire in recent years after its members were found to be illegally selling body parts taken from aborted fetuses. President Donald Trump and other Republican leaders campaigned on defunding the organization leading up the general election in 2016, but have so far been unable to do so. After 8 months of Republican control of every layer of government, Newman says it’s time for new leadership to reinvigorate the pro-life cause conservative Christians are known to support.
“This repeated incapacity to get the job done is completely unacceptable. I call on Mitch McConnell to resign from his position as Senate Majority Leader because of this leadership failure,” Newman added. “Republicans must replace him with someone who can unite the majority and lead the Senate to accomplish President Trump’s agenda – and that includes saving innocent lives by defunding Planned Parenthood. This kind of betrayal of innocent children must not happen again.”
McConnell, who’s held his position as majority leader since 2015, said in September that he would support a measure to fund the federal government through December that did not include any cuts to Planned Parenthood. The Kentucky senator maintained he was “anxious” to strip funding for the organization, but signaled no support for taking action at the time. Now, it seems, the idea has fallen pretty low on his priority list.
“It’s an exercise in futility,” he said in an interview quoted by Politico. “It’s better to be honest with the American people and say, ‘That won’t get it done.'”
Despite controlling both chambers of Congress, McConnell went on to say at the time that Democratic obstructionism was preventing his party from achieving any substantial legislative efforts.
McConnell has been spearheading the Republican Party’s agenda in the Senate since 2007, initially serving as Senate minority leader when Democrats controlled the chamber. Calls for him to step down have escalated following the electoral defeat of acting Alabama Senator Luther Strange in late September, who McConnell endorsed to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Defunding Planned Parenthood must remain a top priority for Christians in America. Seeing as McConnell has refused to take serious action on this issue, it’s hard not to sympathize with Newman’s position.
~ 1776 Christian
