Planned Parenthood on the chopping block

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - Planned Parenthood clinics in Virginia could be forced to close or cut services, depending on how the Senate votes next week.

Last week, the House approved an amendment to take federal funding from Planned Parenthood. Across the country and here in Hampton Roads, some patients are fighting back.

There's nothing Thy Tran loves more than being a mother. She carefully timed out the births of her two children through Planned Parenthood.

"It'll just be a big mess if they cut off the funding for it," Tran said.

That's what the so-called Pence Amendment would do. It's named after Republican Representative Mike Pence of Indiana who proposed it.

"Look, if folks want to be in the business of providing abortions, they ought not to be the recipients of federal taxpayer dollars,' said Pence.

The bill passed by the House last week eliminated Title X family planning funds to Planned Parenthood nationwide.

Pence claims that will save taxpayers nearly $350 million a year.

"For people who claim they want to lower the abortion rate, this is probably the worst way to go about it," Planned Parenthood spokesperson Erin Zabel told us.

If you take away a woman's ability to get birth control, there will be more unplanned pregnancies, she added.

Virginia's Planned Parenthood clinics do not receive Title X or state money, but do accept Medicaid.

Patients use it to pay for things like birth control, breast cancer screenings, and prenatal care.

Tran hopes one day they'll help pay for one more child.

Congressmen Randy Forbes and Scott Rigell both voted to defund Planned Parenthood.

In a statement to WAVY.com Rigell said, "We cannot continue to borrow 40 percent of every dollar we spend from other countries and expect to restore our economic prosperity. Organizations like Planned Parenthood and other government supported entities will face budget cuts as we look to get our fiscal house in order."