The U.S. House of Representatives did the right thing Friday and voted to defund Planned Parenthood, the country's largest abortion provider. The corporation is embattled after undercover videos show ranking officers wheeling and dealing to sell body parts of aborted babies, even though the mainstream press overwhelmingly refers to the sale of "fetal tissue."

The House also voted Friday to strengthen penalties against doctors who refuse to treat babies that survive abortions. The White House promises President Barack Obama will veto both bills. Senate versions are likely to encounter a Democratic filibuster.

Planned Parenthood has not been a worthy recipient of the billions taxpayers have paid it since President Richard Nixon signed into law the Family Planning Services and Population Research Act of 1970. Multiple undercover videos throughout the country have captured Planned Parenthood officials scheming to thwart laws that require health care providers to report evidence of child sexual abuse.

The organization has successfully marketed itself as a provider of women's health services, even though it fails to provide one of the most important forms of female cancer screening. Obama repeatedly claims Planned Parenthood provides mammograms, which it does not. The myth of Planned Parenthood mammography is so common a Miss America contestant used "mammograms" last week as her rationale for opposing the push to defund the abortion provider.

From FactCheck.org: "President Barack Obama said that women 'rely on' Planned Parenthood for mammograms. Actually, mammograms are not performed at the clinics."

A recent Planned Parenthood report showed it provided primary care to fewer than 20,000 of 3 million unduplicated clients. Meanwhile, a report by the Chiaroscuro Foundation tells of 1,048 other federally qualified health centers in the U.S. that provide female cancer screening, contraception and testing for sexually transmitted diseases.

More and better health care for women is an important priority and one that should move us quickly in the direction of redirecting the money spent on Planned Parenthood. Imagine if we could invest that capital with premier regional health service organizations staffed with OB/GYN physicians, certified nurse midwives and other health care professionals who provide a wide range of women's health services.

Congress could coordinate Planned Parenthood funding through the National Association of Community Health Centers, which serves more than 23 million people at more than 9,000 locally controlled clinics throughout the country - many of which provide mammograms. These facilities are not best known for abortions, body parts trafficking and cover-ups of sexual abuse.

Any number of health care organizations could do more for women in need if given the federal resources handed off each year to Planned Parenthood, a centralized, politically charged firm that gave a half-million dollars to congressional Democrats in 2014. It gave no money to Senate Republicans and less than $3,000 to House Republicans. No wonder only two of 188 House Democrats voted against continued funding.

The Supreme Court of the United States has ruled abortion an individual right. It has also ruled gun possession an individual right. That doesn't mean Congress should fund the NRA, the largest advocate of gun rights. Likewise, it has no business giving billions of taxpayer dollars to the largest provider and advocate of abortion on demand - a corporation that sells human parts.

REPRINTED FROM THE COLORADO SPRINGS GAZETTE