Washington, DC – Citing a division in the Republican party concerning the defunding of Planned Parenthood, House Speaker John Boehner has announced that he will not only step down as House Speaker, but will resign his Congressional seat in October.
This announcement comes as an important budget deadline looms. Some staunchly pro-life members of the House have vowed not to vote for any budget that contains funding for Planned Parenthood, but others insist that the funding must remain in order to avoid a government shut down when funding runs out on September 30.
Operation Rescue has participated in protests at Speaker Boehner’s Washington, DC office.
Troy Newman, who heads Operation Rescue, was arrested there in March with eight other pro-life activists who were calling for a vote on a bill that would have banned late-term abortions.
Operation Rescue’s Senior Policy Advisor, Cheryl Sullenger, joined a large number of pro-life leaders in May in an attempt to meet with Speaker Boehner over pro-life issues.
After the release of a series of videos by the Center for Medical Progress that show Planned Parenthood’s involvement in the illegal selling of aborted baby remains, a new sense of urgency has arisen amongst many members of Congress to stop the flow of tax dollars to Planned Parenthood.
“While we appreciate Speaker Boehner’s stated pro-life stance, we were often disappointed in his reticence to take bold steps on behalf of protecting women and their babies from abortion exploitation,” said Newman, who also serves on the Board of the CMP. “We hope that fresh leadership will not just play at politics as usual, but will courageously take meaningful action in the GOP-controlled Congress to stand strongly for the lives of innocent children, and ultimately bring the scourge of abortion to an end.”
House Speaker John Boehner to Resign
