Gov. Christie Vetoes Bill Funding Planned Parenthood for Fifth Time

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Jul 1, 2013   |   4:55PM   |   Trenton, NJ

Governor Chris Christie has no interest in funding the Planned Parenthood abortion business with taxpayer dollars and, for the fifth time, vetoed a bill to do just that. On Friday, Christie vetoed the two family planning bills A4171/S2824 and A4172/S2825.

From the Star Ledger newspaper:

Even though he made some concessions to Democrats, Christie also stamped out their efforts to add $7.5 million to family planning centers and to expand Medicaid coverage for such centers, vetoing those two bills and a series of others.

Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen), the sponsor of the bill that funds women’s health clinics (S2825), said six centers for women have closed since Christie first cut their state funding three years ago.

“It is shameful that the governor is playing politics with the health of the women of New Jersey,” she said. “Women and families in communities across New Jersey have lost access to cancer screenings, pre-natal care, STD testing and treatment and birth control.”

Christie said the bills “would deplete the state’s fiscal resources … and significantly alter the policy and spending priorities” negotiated in the budget this year.

“While each bill may have merit, consideration of that merit is better accomplished in the context of negotiating a balanced budget, as we have done this year,” he wrote in a two-page veto message for all eight Democratic bills.

Christie vetoed the Planned Parenthood abortion business funding bills to the delight of pro-life advocates, including Marie Tasy of New Jersey Right to Life. Here is what she sent LifeNews:

Please call and thank the Governor at 609 292 6000.

These bills will provide a huge financial boondoggle to the nation’s largest abortion provider.  Beginning in January of 2013, all Planned Parenthood affiliates are required to provide abortion services. Numerous Planned Parenthood employees have admitted that funds Planned Parenthood receives for family planning are used to underwrite their abortion business.

CLICK LIKE IF YOU’RE PRO-LIFE!

 

The sponsors of the bill think they can fool taxpayers into believing that no funds will be used for abortion, but that’s just complete nonsense.  Planned Parenthood performed 333,964 abortions last year.  Forty Five percent of its revenues come from taxpayer funded government sources.  Last year, they reported revenues exceeding $87M and net assets of more than $1.2B. ( Source:  Planned Parenthood 2011-2012 Annual Report.)  With this steady stream of revenue, it’s unconscionable that they would seek even more funding from the hardworking citizens of NJ.

Despite claims from these lawmakers that women’s health care needs are not being met, Governor Christie has provided funding in the budget to the 105+ FQHCs (Federally Qualified Health Centers) and the NJ CEED program which provide legitimate and more comprehensive health care services than those provided by Planned Parenthood.   This attempt  by pro-abortion lawmakers to use poor women as pawns is despicable and is nothing more than a ploy to shore up their base in an election year.  Lawmakers who support Planned Parenthood should open their wallets and support them with their own money instead of trying to force taxpayers to foot the bill.