Massachusetts taxpayers will continue to fund the abortion giant Planned Parenthood after a pro-life ballot initiative fell just short of the required 64,750 signatures needed.
Planned Parenthood receives about half a billion taxpayer dollars annually from the United States. It is the largest abortion business in America, aborting more than 320,000 unborn babies every year.
Many states have moved to defund the abortion chain after undercover videos exposed its aborted baby body parts trade. There are signs that the FBI may be investigating whether Planned Parenthood broke the law by selling aborted baby parts to researchers.
However, many states have been thwarted in their efforts, some by the Obama administration, others by court orders.
Boston Magazine reports pro-life advocates in Massachusetts got close to allowing voters to help decide the issue by ballot measure, but they narrowly missed the opportunity this week.
According to the report:
The measure was the pet project of Rep. Jim Lyons, the Andover Republican who championed the cause. Though seemingly doomed from the start, Lyons did get relatively close to clearing a big hurdle on the path toward bringing the question to voters. He and other pro-life advocates needed 64,750 verified signatures ahead of Wednesday night’s deadline to get the initiative a step closer to the 2020 ballot, according to Newbury Port Daily News, and he fell just a few thousand names short. …
Lyons’ target with the ballot measure was a 1981 Massachusetts Supreme Court ruling, which guaranteed that low-income women receiving Medicaid benefits have access to a state-funded abortion. That particularly ruling is still affecting plenty of Massachusetts women, as some 1.9 million residents were enrolled in MassHealth, the state’s Medicaid plan, in June 2016.
Pro-life state and federal lawmakers want to direct taxpayer funding to comprehensive community health clinics that offer a wide range of health care, but do not abort unborn babies.
Planned Parenthood claims to be a key women’s health care provider, but its non-abortion services have been declining rapidly. Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood has increased its abortion numbers.
SIGN THE PETITION! Congress Must De-Fund Planned Parenthood Immediately
In 2015, Planned Parenthood saw approximately 2.4 million patients, about 100,000 fewer than the previous year and about 500,000 fewer than five years ago. At the same time, the abortion chain was enjoying about $554.6 million a year in tax dollars.
From 2010 to 2014, Planned Parenthood reports show dramatic decreases in the actual health services it provides, including breast cancer screenings, pap tests and STD tests and treatments. And its pregnancy services for women who do not want abortions, including prenatal care, ultrasounds and adoption information basically are non-existent.
Earlier this year, the abortion chain’s leaders even refused an offer for an increase in taxpayer funding for its health care services if it gave up abortions. Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards called the offer “obscene and insulting.”
Late last year, U.S. House and Senate committees also concluded investigations into the abortion chain by recommending that the FBI investigate and potentially file criminal charges against Planned Parenthood.
