Governor Chris Christie is getting a request from the leading pro-life group in New Jersey to, once again, veto state taxpayer funding for the Planned Parenthood abortion business.
The New Jersey Senate passed the measure to restore the $7.5 million in funding 26-13 with all of the Senate Democrats voting to restore the Planned Parenthood funds along with Republicans Diane Allen and Jennifer Beck.
Two of the abortion business’ centers closed last year following the first veto of the funding.
New Jersey Right to Life is calling on the pro-life governor to line item veto $7.5 million out of the state budget for Planned Parenthood family planning clinics at a time when the state still faces a difficult financial situation. The organization says fraudulent activity, poor health and safety inspections, expose videos showing it looking the other way at sex trafficking and the fact that it is the leading abortion business should disqualify it from receiving state funds.
“Yesterday, the Democratic-controlled Senate and Assembly passed their own budget which contains $7.5 million in taxpayer funds for Planned Parenthood family planning clinics,” NJRTL director Marie Tasy said in an action alert email to her group’s members. “Please email and call Governor Christie today and ask him to please line item veto the $7.5M out of the budget for Planned Parenthood.”
The governor has until Friday to act on the budget and Christie has already said he won’t sign the $30.6 billion budget. His office would not say Wednesday night exactly how he would use line-item vetos to pare down the budget to the overall figure he supports. He can either send a modified bill back to the legislature for its approval or line-item veto enough items in the budget until he is satisfied and signs it.
“The Democratic budget passed today by the Senate and the Assembly is unconstitutional in its present form,” Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak said. “There is a lot for the governor to study and review in order to make a determination as to whether the budget can be fixed and brought into balance.”
In party-line votes, the Senate passed the bill 24-15, while the Assembly passed it 46-32. Those numbers are not high enough to sustain Christie’s vetoes, making it so the Planned Parenthood funding would not likely survive if Christie vetoes it.
Recently, New Jersey Right to Life exposed a 39-page deficiency report obtained through an Open Public Records Act Request. The Report was issued by the New Jersey Department of Health and involved a recent inspection of Planned Parenthood of Mercer County’s abortion and family planning clinic citing numerous health and safety violations. This report follows a videotape showing a Planned Parenthood clinic employee aiding and abetting sex traffickers of minor girls as young as 13.
“By pushing to fund Planned Parenthood in spite of its criminal activity and violation of health and safety laws, both of which place the lives of women and young girls in immediate danger, Senator Weinberg proves she is not a champion of women,” Tasy said. “She is a champion and tireless advocate for Planned Parenthood and is fighting to fund them with our hard earned money.” [related]
In early February, an employee at the Planned Parenthood abortion facility in Perth Amboy, New Jersey was caught on videotape working with an alleged sex trafficking ring operator to get abortions done on the underage girls he claimed he was exploiting.
A recent inspection last month of Planned Parenthood of Mercer County finds the clinic in the state capital was cited for numerous health code violations which have placed the lives and health of women and young girls in imminent danger.
The New Jersey Department of Health conducted the surveys on March 10 and 11 and found Planned Parenthood of Mercer County improperly used syringes and compounds, it was guilty of improper training and qualifications of staff on pain management and health care counseling (including abortions), the facility failed to have infection control program inplace and failed to require physical exams for staff.
Health officials also determined the Planned Parenthood center did not test staff for rubella and TB, the medical director failed to designate a replacement for times of absence, the Planned Parenthood did not ensure adequate protections were in place for drug adverse reactions and medication errors, did not have procedures in place regarding dangerous substances, did not have a written agreement with a pharmacy licensed by the New Jersey State Board of Pharmacy, did not have adequate infection controls in place, was not using and sterilizing medical instruments and devices — including a vaginal ultrasound — properly, and did not provide any proof that the facility is a formal member of the Maternal and Child Health Consortium as required by law.
The inspection, written up in an April 7 letter, also noted Planned Parenthood failed to maintain hot running water in patient care areas, and it had several sanitary and safety violations involving patient care and many other administrative deficiencies.
After a U.S. Inspector General report showed New Jersey-based family planning clinics run by the Planned Parenthood abortion business were improperly billing Medicaid for services that did not qualify as family planning, the state had to return $2.9 million to the Medicaid program.
