WASHINGTON—Senate Republicans plan to strip federal funding from Planned Parenthood Federation of America and add several other abortion restrictions to their health-insurance overhaul bill, creating another potential concern for centrist GOP senators who are considering whether to back the legislation. Republican leaders believe they have the votes to keep the defunding measure in any final Senate bill, people familiar with the discussions said, though they still could remove it should that be the deciding factor in the bill’s passage. Defunding Planned Parenthood has long been a priority for conservative lawmakers and antiabortion groups, and they see the health bill as a rare opportunity to do so. Republicans plan to use a procedural maneuver to pass the bill with a simple Senate majority rather than the 60 votes usually required, giving the antiabortion groups a potential opening. By law, Planned Parenthood can’t use federal dollars to pay for abortions.

Source: Wall Street Journal June 10, 2017 14:18 UTC