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Planned Parenthood Sent Superhero Capes To Senators Who Saved Obamacare

by Bronwyn Isaac
Astrid Riecken/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Late Thursday night, the GOP's plan to repeal and replace Obamacare was stifled once again in a close 49-51 Senate vote. As a thank you, Planned Parenthood sent superhero capes to thank senators who voted against repealing the Affordable Care Act.

"We're delivering #IStandWithPP capes to all the senators who voted against #Trumpcare. Thank you for protecting our care!" Planned Parenthood tweeted on Friday.

A politics reporter for The Washington Post, Dave Weigel, tweeted a photo of Planned Parenthood employees holding a bunch of white and pink #IStandWithPP capes on Friday morning. "Planned Parenthood sending 'superhero capes' to senators who voted to kill repeal," he wrote.

Three Republican senators voted against the GOP's proposed health care bill, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, and John McCain, alongside all of the Democrat senators. This marked a significant (albeit temporary) defeat of the GOP's ongoing plan to repeal and replace Obamacare.

If passed, the bill would have defunded Planned Parenthood for a year by blocking clinics from accepting Medicaid funding, while also dealing great blows to Medicaid funding across the board. The bill also would have removed the essential benefits mandate through Obamacare, which would then allow employers to deny coverage of maternity care, birth control and emergency service. Needless to say, the GOP health care bill would have dealt a huge blow to women's access to reproductive rights, and the funding status of Planned Parenthood clinics across the country.

After the Senate vote struck down the GOP health care repeal, the president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Cecile Richards, wrote a celebratory statement praising the power of grassroots activism.

Women stopped this bill in its tracks. Since day one, women have led the opposition, from organizing rallies and marches to flooding congressional town halls and hosting weekly phone banks.
Americans across the country joined the rallying cry against this dangerous bill, rose up in opposition, and never let up. Against all odds, grassroots organizing defeated Trumpcare. We know this is the beginning, not the end, of fighting for what we believe in — but it’s a big step forward.

Following the GOP's failure to replace Obamacare, president Trump wrote a tweet lambasting the senators who voted against the bill. "3 Republicans and 48 Democrats let the American people down. As I said from the beginning, let ObamaCare implode, then deal. Watch!" wrote Trump.

Per the president's request, many Americans will continue to watch the ongoing fight over health care. After all, the stakes are at an all time high.