WASHINGTON, August 3– Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement today after voting against a motion to start debate on a bill to cut all funding to Planned Parenthood:

“For decades, Republicans have been trying to deny a woman the right to control her own body. The bill on the floor today was nothing more than a continuation of that effort. At a time when 35 million Americans lack health insurance, Planned Parenthood clinics all over the country provide health care to over 2 million women each year, including 1.5 million low-income patients. These health centers are catching breast cancer early, testing for STIs and HIV and providing the care too many women cannot access elsewhere.

“The campaign by Senate Republicans to defund Planned Parenthood is a waste of valuable time in the Senate. Instead of trying to take away health care from millions of women, we should be passing legislation to provide family and medical leave to all of our families. We should also pass pay equity legislation so that women do not continue to earn 78 cents on the dollar compared to men.”