Republicans are accusing Democrats of obeying the wishes of Planned Parenthood when they blocked a Zika funding bill.
The bill would have provided funds for community health centers and providers to fight the virus, but not Planned Parenthood,
according to The Hill.
"Special interests got to them, special interest groups snapped their fingers and the Democrats came running," South Dakota Republican Sen. John Thune said. "And as a consequence, there is not going to be funding for Zika.
Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, a Democrat, said that the Zika virus can be transmitted sexually, and Planned Parenthood can help avoid birth defects that could result from Zika.
Republicans are pressing the Democrats on the issue now. The Obama administration called on the Republicans for $1.9 billion in Zika funding for months, then the House responded with a $1.1 billion deal with other provisions, which the Democrats opposed.
California Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy called the Democrats' blocking of the Zika bill "a sickening display of partisanship at the expense of the common good,"
according to his website.
Zika is being actively transmitted in Puerto Rico. The Planned Parenthood clinics on the island could treat young, poor women who will not get treatment elsewhere, the Hill report said.
"When they're taking money away from Planned Parenthood, they're basically taking it away from young, high-risk women," public health professor Peter Shin said in the Hill report.
"Republicans can't resist a chance to whack Planned Parenthood, even if their services are exactly what can help prevent the spread of this debilitating virus,"
said Democrat Sen. Chuck Schumer said,
according to ABC News.
Ten new cases of the virus have been confirmed in Florida,
according to The Guardian.
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