Kentucky Bill Would Put Planned Parenthood Last in Line to Receive State Taxpayer Funding

State   |   Micaiah Bilger   |   Feb 4, 2016   |   4:22PM   |   Frankfort, KY

Kentucky pro-life lawmakers are on a roll this week after passing two pro-life bills to protect unborn babies and mothers.

On Tuesday, the Kentucky Senate passed a bill that would put Planned Parenthood last in line for state taxpayer funding, WHAS 11 reports. The vote was 33-5 in favor of the measure, the report states.

Kentucky Senate Bill 7 would re-prioritize funding for family planning by directing state tax dollars to public health departments first, non-public health clinics second and then, if any money is left, to Planned Parenthood, state Sen. Max Wise, sponsor of the bill told The Lane Report.

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“Due to existing federal law and prior federal court of appeals decisions, this bill does not impact Medicaid funds that flow to Planned Parenthood,” Wise said. “While that is regrettable … it is the current landscape within which we must work.”

“Until more significant changes can be made at the federal level, we must do what we can to keep public funds from groups like Planned Parenthood which callously profit from death,” he added.

Kentucky is one of many states where bills have been introduced to de-fund the abortion business after a series of undercover videos showed some of its top officials selling aborted babies’ body parts.

Kentucky lawmakers have an additional reason for targeting the abortion affiliate in their state. Last week, Bevin’s administration discovered that a Planned Parenthood in Louisville was doing surgical and medical abortions without a license. Bevin’s office shut down the facility’s abortion practice on Jan. 29.

“It’s that brazen disregard for the law that is going to be hammered down,” Bevin said last week. “There is no tolerance whatsoever for people in the Commonwealth of Kentucky disregarding the law. They are unlicensed. They are doing it knowingly, and they are going to brought to justice on this front.”

The de-funding bill likely will face an up-hill battle in the Democrat-controlled state House.

On Tuesday, in a historic vote, the state Senate also gave final approval to Senate Bill 4, which amends the state’s informed consent law to require either an in-person or a real-time video consultation between a doctor and woman at least 24 hours before having an abortion, according to the Associated Press. During the meeting, the woman will be informed about the risks of abortion, the age of her unborn baby and the support available to her if she chose childbirth.

Legislators said the bill was needed because some abortion facilities were not conducting live consultations with women before abortion procedures; instead, they would instruct women to call in and listen to a recorded message, according to the AP.

Pro-life Gov. Matt Bevin signed it into law Wednesday.

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