WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 (UPI) — A majority of Americans believe the potential Congressional elimination of Planned Parenthood funding is not worth shutting down the government, a poll released Monday indicates.
Seventy-one percent of respondents in a CNN/ORC poll said they would prefer to see a compromise on a budget to keep the U.S. government in operation past Sept. 30. Twenty-two percent believe it is more important for Congress to eliminate funding to Planned Parenthood, mired in controversy after undercover videos suggested the non-profit organization acted illegally in selling fetal tissue for profit to researchers. Planned Parenthood has denied the charges.
Congress must find a way to keep the government operating through the end of the year or face a shutdown in two weeks. Some House and Senate Republicans were demanding all government funding be denied Planned Parenthood.
The legislators’ stand could provoke an impasse leading to the second shutdown of the federal government in two years.
House Republicans will vote later this week on two anti-abortion measures. One will cut off Planned Parenthood funding, another will impose criminal penalties on healthcare professionals who do not aid a baby who survives an abortion attempt.
Senate Republicans will consider their own proposal banning abortions after 20 weeks gestation. While the passage of each bill is doubtful, they are intended as a platform for Republican outrage over the videos.
But Congress is running out of time. With planned religious holidays and time off to welcome Pope Francis to Washington next week, a resolution, if any, is expected right at the deadline.
The survey of 1,012 respondents was conducted between Sept. 4 and Tuesday by telephone, including cellphone users, and has a margin of error of three percentage points.
