State lawmakers attending a packed hearing today hear from several pro-life women and saw dozens of pro-life advocates who want to see the state withdraw taxpayer funding from the Planned Parenthood abortion business.
The Ohio House of Representatives Health and Aging Committee heard powerful testimony from pro-life women supporting House Bill 298, a bill that would defund Planned Parenthood. Led by pro-life Representatives Kristina Roegner, Cliff Rosenberger and Chairman Lynn Wachtmann, this legislative initiative embraces what Ohio Right to Life calls a “critical need to provide limited taxpayer dollars to health care centers that support low-income women and their children.”
“With over 300 Ohio-based health care centers in desperate need of funding, it is critical to pass this legislation which will ensure the health care needs of women and their children are met,” said Mike Gonidakis, President of Ohio Right to Life.
“Planned Parenthood is the nation’s largest abortion provider, performing over 320,000 abortions per year. For every one adoption they refer, they abort 391 babies,” Gonidakis continued. “What is most jarring is that Planned Parenthood performs an abortion upon 91% of all of the pregnant clients that walk through their doors. And we, as American taxpayers, are funding this organization.”
He added, “It can’t be ignored that Planned Parenthood is one of the largest pigs at the taxpayer trough, yet fails to provide certain and basic health care services offered at most of the other 300 clinics. It’s time to stand up against the special interests, abortion lobbyists and their allies and instead support poor and uninsured women and their kids.”
“This legislative approach will ensure that tax dollars allocated to health programs for uninsured women will continue by restructuring how our tax dollars are distributed, giving priority to those health centers where a majority of Ohio women receive care,” he said.
Last month, the Ohio House of Representatives defeated an effort by pro-life advocates to revoke taxpayer funding from Planned Parenthood.
An amendment had been added to a bill to shut down taxpayer financing of the nation’s biggest abortion business but the state House removed a pro-life amendment from Governor Kasich’s Mid-Biennium Review legislation. The amendment would have defunded Planned Parenthood in Ohio but the House Finance Committee stripped the pro-life amendment, therefore terminating any opportunity to fast track this initiative.
Led by pro-life Representatives Kristina Roegner, Cliff Rosenberger and Chairman Ron Amstutz, the legislative amendment embraced the critical need to support low-income women and their children in order to receive health care.
Gonidakis said the new legislative approach would have ensured that tax dollars allocated to health programs for uninsured and underinsured women will continue. The initiative promoted women’s health by restructuring how Ohio tax dollars are distributed, giving priority to those health centers where a majority of Ohio women receive care.
Gonidakis said pro-abortion lobbyists “will recklessly claim that women will be denied health care with the enactment of this legislation.”
“In reality, there are over 130 health districts and over 160 community health centers in Ohio that provide family planning services as well as comprehensive primary care. Groups like Planned Parenthood are only attempting to protect the taxpayer money that they have received for decades,” he said.
