Planned Parenthood’s Ecumenical Supporters

They include Catholics, Jews, Presbyterians and at least one Baptist.

By David Mills Published on August 4, 2015

Planned Parenthood has an ecumenical, and indeed interfaith, support in the United States Senate. The organization gets over $500 million a year, or over a third of its annual budget, from the federal government. Following is the list of the senators who voted to continue funding Planned Parenthood and their religious affiliations. The roll call can be found on the Senate site and the religious affiliation on Wikipedia.

Baldwin (D-WI) Unaffiliated
Bennet (D-CO) Unaffiliated
Blumenthal (D-CT) Jewish
Booker (D-NJ) Baptist
Boxer (D-CA) Jewish
Brown (D-OH) Lutheran
Cantwell (D-WA) Catholic
Cardin (D-MD) Jewish
Carper (D-DE) Presbyterian
Casey (D-PA) Catholic
Coons (D-DE) Presbyterian
Durbin (D-IL) Catholic
Feinstein (D-CA) Jewish
Franken (D-MN) Jewish
Gillibrand (D-NY) Catholic
Heinrich (D-NM) Lutheran
Heitkamp (D-ND) Catholic
Hirono (D-HI) Buddhist
Kaine (D-VA) Catholic
King (I-ME) Episcopalian
Kirk (R-IL) United Church of Christ
Klobuchar (D-MN) United Church of Christ
Leahy (D-VT) Catholic
Markey (D-MA) Catholic
McCaskill (D-MO) Catholic
Menendez (D-NJ) Catholic
Merkley (D-OR) Lutheran
Mikulski (D-MD) Catholic
Murphy (D-CT) Protestant
Murray (D-WA) Catholic
Nelson (D-FL) Episcopalian
Peters (D-MI) Episcopalian
Reed (D-RI) Catholic
Reid (D-NV) Mormon
Sanders (I-VT) Jewish
Schatz (D-HI) Judaism
Schumer (D-NY) Judaism
Shaheen (D-NH) Protestant
Stabenow (D-MI) Methodist
Tester (D-MT) Church of God
Udall (D-NM) Mormon
Warner (D-VA) Presbyterian
Warren (D-MA) Methodist
Whitehouse (D-RI) Episcopalian
Wyden (D-OR) Jewish

Notes:

1) McConnell (KY), the Senate majority leader and a Baptist, voted no but is not listed above because he voted no so that he could bring the bill up again, according to The Hill.

2) Graham (R-SC), also a Baptist, did not vote. He skipped the vote in order to campaign in New Hampshire. His fellow candidates, Senators Cruz, Paul, Rubio, remained in Washington for the vote.

3) The two Democrats to vote to defund Planned Parenthood, Donnelly (IN) and Manchin (WV), are both Catholic.

4) Here’s the Pew Research Center’s evaluation of the religious makeup of the current Congress. The center reports, “Despite the sea change in party control [from the previous congress], there is relatively little change in the overall religious makeup of Congress, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center. More than nine-in-ten members of the House and Senate (92%) are Christian, and about 57% are Protestant, roughly the same as in the 113th Congress (90% and 56%, respectively). About three-in-ten members (31%) are Catholic, the same as in the previous Congress.” The percentages of Protestants, Catholics and Jews are higher than in the general population and the percentage of unaffiliated much lower.

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