As Republicans were scrambling to shut down the House so they could run away from the sit-in led by John Lewis, they finally passed a bill on Zika funding. The idea that the Republicans would at last support giving some dollars to a dire public health threat may seem like a relief, even if the funds are only a bit over half what was requested—and five months late—but this inviting slice of artificial cheese substance came wrapped around a big poison pill.
The bill would restrict funding to Planned Parenthood, and specifically block funds for contraceptives in Puerto Rico. Because when you’re battling a disease that causes horrible, life-long birth defects, there’s no better way to do it than blocking funds to women’s health and keeping people from getting contraceptives. And nothing says “we care” like specifically making cuts in the area most affected by the disease.
If the Republicans aren’t trying to simply be evil when it comes to Zika, they’re doing a fantastic immitation.
As expected, Democrats shot down this ridiculous bill.
The nearly party-line 52-48 vote Tuesday left the Senate short of the 60 votes required to advance the measure. What happens next is unclear.
What happens next is that babies continue to die, or to be born with unbelievably awful conditions like microcephaly, and America parents and families continue to suffer. Or Republicans come to the table with a bill that helps American families without taking time to punish women in a way they find amusing.
One of these things seems sadly more likely than the other.