Twitter Reacts To Planned Parenthood Vote

An important vote in the Senate on Monday evening came down to the wire, with congressional Democrats managing to defeat their rival Republicans and maintain government funding for Planned Parenthood. A vote to enact legislation defunding the public health organization was first introduced last month, after video footage surfaced that purportedly showed several PP executives lightheartedly discussing the sale of fetal organs, causing pro-life activists to protest the nonprofit and call for the cessation of its government financing. Immediately following Monday's vote, Twitter reactions on both sides of the Planned Parenthood debate were swift and impassioned.

"Women's healthcare is not a bargaining chip," wrote one user. A user on the opposite side of the issue angrily tweeted, "#StandwithPP save the lion, kill a baby!"

President Obama had previously promised to veto any legislative attempts to defund the health organization, saying that the various services provided by Planned Parenthood were vital to community health efforts.

"The president has said ... that Planned Parenthood provides valuable services, health care services for men and women across the country," said White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest during a visit to CNN's New Day on Monday. "He would veto any legislation that tried to advance wholesale defunding for [it]."

Fortunately for pro-choice advocates, Monday's deciding 53-46 vote made the need for a presidential veto unnecessary, as it fell short of the 60 votes needed to push the measure through to the proper committees. All the same, it didn't stop the social media sphere from loudly voicing its own opinions on the matter.

Some Twitter users were simply elated that the matter had come to a close (for the time being):

Many began to share their own personal stories:

Others, angry with the outcome of Monday's vote, began posting frustrated arguments in opposition to the Planned Parenthood victory (with more than a few that were confusing or unsettling):

Some of Planned Parenthood's supporters decided to chime in on the discussion as well, arguing that the organization offered more than abortions alone, and that it was vital to continue funding important community health services:

A few took on the overall debate against abortion by pointing to what they claimed was an outdated, religious-based mindset that had no place in public health:

Following Monday's vote, Planned Parenthood itself took to Twitter:

Planned Parenthood President Cecil Richards also tweeted the following statement:

The extreme right-wing effort to cut Planned Parenthood patients off from care fails 53-46. THANK YOU to all the patients who told their stories, the supporters who #StandwithPP, and the Senators who voted with women! We won the battle, but the war isn't over: Anti-abortion politicians vowed to do everything in their power to cut patients off from care, including forcing a government shutdown this fall. We need you to continue to #StandwithPP.