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Congressman Cohen Criticizes Republicans for Yet Another Attempt to Repeal the Affordable Care Act and Defund Planned Parenthood

January 6, 2016

[WASHINGTON, DC] – Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice, released the following statement on the House Republicans’ 62nd attempt to repeal or undermine the Affordable Care Act and the 11th attempt to defund Planned Parenthood. Congressman Cohen also addressed the issue today on the House floor. Video of his remarks can be found here and here.

“Defunding Planned Parenthood denies women, especially low-income and minority women, access to critical health care services like cancer screenings, contraception and STD prevention and treatment. To deny access to these health care services to these women is unconscionable,” said Congressman Cohen. “And worse, they know this isn’t going to become law. They’re just wasting time voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act for a 62nd time and voting to defund Planned Parenthood for the 11th time when there are so many critical issues like raising the minimum wage and reducing gun violence that Congress needs to address.”

As Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice, the subcommittee with jurisdiction over the constitutional right to choose, Congressman Cohen has repeatedly voted against and rejected proposals to defund Planned Parenthood. Congressman Cohen has spoken at House Judiciary Committee hearings several times in defense of Planned Parenthood. Video of Congressman Cohen’s remarks at a September 2015 hearing on Planned Parenthood can be found here. Video of Congressman Cohen’s remarks at an October 2015 hearing on Planned Parenthood hearing can be found here.

Congressman Cohen has voted more than 60 times against efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He has also been an outspoken critic of the Tennessee State Legislature for not expanding the state’s Medicaid program. While the Tennessee legislature’s failure to expand Medicaid coverage has denied the full benefits of the law to all Memphians, the law has already reduced the number of uninsured in Tennessee and across the country.