[JURIST] The US House of Representatives [official website] voted in favor of a bill [materials] that would overturn the Obama administration’s rule prohibiting [text] states from denying federal funding to Planned Parenthood [advocacy website]. The bill passed in the House with a vote of 2300188. This legislation is viewed as the first step [WSJ report] in the process of defunding Planned Parenthood. The bill will now travel to the Republican-majority Senate for a vote.

There have been many attempts through legislation to reduce abortion throughout the US. In January the House approved [JURIST report] a bill prohibiting the use of federal funding for abortions. In October the Oklahoma Supreme Court struck down [JURIST report] a law that added new licensing and inspection rules for facilities that perform abortions. In July the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit [JURIST report] against an Arizona law that would potentially prevent low-income women from obtaining healthcare from their provider of choice. Earlier in July in a US district judge issued a preliminary injunction [JURIST report] against a Florida law intended to cut state funding to clinics administering abortions.