[Thursday] morning, in a historic moment, Pope Francis of the Holy See addressed a Joint Meeting of Congress. “The Golden Rule,” Pope Francis said, “… reminds us of our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development.” We could not agree more. The fight for the lives of the unborn in America has been raging stronger than ever, as the curtain has been pulled back and America has seen the realities of what happens at Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the nation.

But [Thursday] afternoon, a majority of the Senate dismissed the admonition of Pope Francis. An effort to keep the government open and running while also placing a moratorium on funds for Planned Parenthood, was defeated by 52 Senators — every single Democrat as well as the following eight Republicans: Senators Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), Susan Collins (Maine), Mark Kirk. (Ill.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Dean Heller (Nev.), Rand Paul (Ky.), Ben Sasse (Neb.), and Tom Cotton (Ark.).

It is deeply disappointing to see Republicans who previously claimed to want to defund Planned Parenthood turn around and vote to oppose the vehicle that would direct funds away from Planned Parenthood to federally qualified comprehensive health centers that would actually help women. Meanwhile, Democrats — even Senators Joe Manchin (W.V.) and Joe Donnelly (Ind.) who previously voted for a motion to proceed to defund Planned Parenthood — are in lock step with Planned Parenthood, protecting the federal complicity in this shameful organization. Shame on the Senate for not approving this solution.

Pope Francis also reminded Congress, “You are asked to protect, by means of the law, the image and likeness fashioned by God on every human face.”

Every human face.

That would include the faces of unborn children that are cut open with scissors during brain procurement behind closed doors at Planned Parenthood? Who is protecting them by means of the law? Should Congress not do everything in its power to protect them?

Many Members of Congress in the House and the Senate are working hard on strategies to do just this, and they need our encouragement.

We will not stop fighting for the protection of taxpayers, who do not want their hard-earned tax dollars given to an organization riddled with scandal, under investigation for serious criminal offenses including possible violations of the federal ban on partial-birth abortion and the killing of babies born alive.

This is a publication of the Family Research Council. Mr. Perkins is president of FRC.