The Indiana Senate voted Monday to prohibit any state contracts or grants with Planned Parenthood or other organizations
that provide abortions.
The prohibition was added by a 36-13 vote to a bill that would cut four weeks off the time that abortions would be allowed
and give the state some of the nation's tightest abortion restrictions.
Sen. Scott Schneider, R-Indianapolis, said Planned Parenthood of Indiana was to receive about $3 million this budget year
in state-related funding, mostly federal money that the state distributes for health programs. The proposal is similar to
an effort that Republicans in Congress agreed to drop earlier this month. The GOP dropped the plan that would have cut off
federal funding of Planned Parenthood as part of the deal that averted a shutdown of the federal government.
"This amendment will make sure that taxpayers are not forced to subsidize something that they morally have an objection
to," Schneider said.
Planned Parenthood provided more than 5,500 abortions in Indiana last year and had revenue of about $15.7 million.
Opponents of the provision argued that state and federal laws prohibit government grants from going toward abortions. They
said the money Planned Parenthood receives is used to provide services such as birth control and pelvic and breast exams to
thousands of low-income women.
Sen. Vaneta Becker, R-Evansville, said she didn't understand why legislators would take a step of reducing women's
access to health service at some time the state is cutting funding toward programs for mentally disabled children.
"If we are so concerned about pregnancy before children are born, why are we not as concerned after children are born?"
Becker said.
Schneider said the provision would not reduce any funding for health programs and that more than 60 clinics around the state
provide similar screening services as Planned Parenthood's 28 locations. Hospitals where abortions are performed could
still receive state funding.
Planned Parenthood officials complained that the funding ban wasn't considered by a Senate committee after hearing public
testimony.
"It is an abomination that lawmakers continue to engage in counterproductive discussions and actions when it comes to
public health policy in our state," Betty Cockrum, president of Planned Parenthood of Indiana. "If they want to
reduce the number of abortions, it makes no sense to make birth control harder to get for thousands of Hoosiers."
A House committee approved a similar funding ban, but that bill wasn't voted on by the full House because of the five-week
walkout by Democrats over other legislation.
The Senate could vote as soon as Tuesday on the passage of the bill; the House still must vote on the complete version.
The bill would ban abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy unless there is a substantial threat to the woman's life
or health. Indiana law now permits abortions up to the point of a fetus' viability — about 24 weeks.
Indiana would join Nebraska and North Carolina in banning abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy, according to the Guttmacher
Institute, a reproductive-health research organization that supports abortion rights.
Planned Parenthood of Indiana says 96 percent of abortions in the state take place in the first 13 weeks of pregnancy.
The bill also requires abortion providers to tell women in writing that human life begins when the egg is fertilized, that
abortions could increase infertility chances and that a fetus might feel pain at or before 20 weeks.
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it does not produce hope.
its murder....I used to be all for those so-called women's rights agendas, but I have come to believe quite the opposite is true.
killing children never produces 'self-esteem' and 'hope'.
When you 'kill' a baby, right inside your own body, it leaves an mark that can never be erased....there's so much to say and you will not understand in these few sentences, and yes, those 'people' praying for an end to abortion do have lots of alternatives for those who feel like they have no other alternative but to kill an innocent person.
If your true aim is to prevent abortions, start by ensuring birth control is availalbe to those who need it. Educate kids about the importance of being safe - not just preventing pregnancy but preventing STDs. Then go on to help at-risk kids develop self esteem and HOPE!
As a lifeling Republican, and someone who whole-heartedly believes in family values, I am sickened by the narrow-mindedness and short-sightedness of our state's representatives.
If your true aim is to prevent abortions, start by ensuring birth control is availalbe to those who need it. Educate kids about the importance of being safe - not just preventing pregnancy but preventing STDs. Then go on to help at-risk kids develop self esteem and HOPE!
As a lifeling Republican, and someone who whole-heartedly believes in family values, I am sickened by the narrow-mindedness and short-sightedness of our state's representatives.
Please Lord, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
Dan makes a great point. Hold fundraisers. If the public sector donates to the causes they agree with and support, those in need can continue to utilize the resources PP provides and I can keep my tax dollars.
They should be applauding PPIN for using the funding to help educate our youth and allow them to make informed decisions- not take away one of the only places left for young adults to get factual information. They don't allow schools to teach factual inforamtion to students anymore and many students are not comfortable asking their teachers which they see everyday or their parents these questions.
It is very sad and I am very disappointed in the State of Indiana.
This is no different than the fact that I believe the wars in the MidEast are morally wrong; however, there will never be a bill that allows us to pull tax dollars from the military budget simply because we as a country deem the wars to be necessary. Until people who feel the same as me can effectively change the country's viewpoint on this, I have to accept that my tax dollars are going to fund wars.
People who share your beliefs on abortion should be making every feasible effort to make abortion illegal, not pulling funding from groups that perform abortions (and in this case, provide many other valuable services).
However, I don't think the government (i.e. the taxpayer) ought to be funding Planned Parenthood any more than it does a number of other organizations. There are plenty of ways for Planned Parenthood to fulfill its mission every bit as well without a dime of taxpayer money.
Hold fundraisers. Form a 501(c)(3) so donations are tax deductible. Have local Run/Walk Events. Look at the success of Susan G. Komen Foundation -- people can't wait to help out! Other organizations like the American Cancer Society, the March of Dimes, St Judes, Riley Hospital raise unbelievable amounts of money from the private sector.
As a country, we are going to go broke if we don't quit demanding taxpayer funding for everything that comes along.
2) Even if you managed to somehow impose accounting practices that would keep the state money separate from other revenue... every cent of the state money used for, say, office supplies leaves that much more of the OTHER revenue sources for abortions.
Like I said, the only way to insure that no state funds are used for abortions is to provide NO state funds to the abortion provider - regardless of "restrictions"; they're too easy to circumvent.
Vote this puppy in!
Scott Schneider: Get work to work on creating JOBS and EDUCATION and and the BUSINESS of of Indiana- Stay out of our personal lives...I can't imagine anyone who is looking to our elected official to make our moral and ethical decisions! Certainly not I!
While people might have their differences about one service that Planned Parenthood provides, that service only accounts for 3% of what Planned Parenthood does. If you are anti-abortion you should love Planned Parenthood for all of the reproductive information and contraception they provide!
97% of Planned Parenthood's services are preventative. $0.00 federal dollars go to abortion. Defunding Planned Parenthood is a misinformed witch hunt. Keep your religious politics out of my government!