Planned Parenthood War Is About to Force a Stark Choice for GOP Candidates

Rubio, Cruz, Graham and Paul are caught between the passions of the base and their responsibility to keep government running.

Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas and U.S. 2016 presidential candidate, speaks during the South Carolina Freedom Summit hosted by Citizens United and Congressman Jeff Duncan in Greenville, South Carolina, U.S., on Saturday, May 9, 2015. The Freedom Summit brings grassroots activists from across South Carolina and the surrounding area to hear from conservative leaders and presidential hopefuls.
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

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By Sahil Kapur

July 31, 2015 at 3:59 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Republican presidential candidates will soon be forced to decide whether their party should shut down the federal government in a quest to defund Planned Parenthood.

With conservatives aghast over recently unveiled videos showing the group's officials discussing the cost of aborted fetal tissue, some activists are demanding that the Republican-led Congress shut down the government on October 1, when money expires, unless Democrats agree to rescind the roughly $500 million in federal funds that the women's health provider receives annually.