Pro-abortion lawmakers in New Jersey are pushing through new legislation to force taxpayers to fund the Planned Parenthood abortion business.
New Jersey Senate Bill 120 passed a Senate committee Monday as pro-abortion lawmakers touted it as a “top priority,” New Jersey Advance Media reports.
“We made it a priority to put this bill on the governor’s desk early in the legislative session so that we can begin the process of restoring access to services as soon as possible,” said Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, who sponsored the bill. “All residents deserve access to family planning and preventive services, and I look forward to seeing these measures signed into law.”
The bill would reverse decisions by former Gov. Chris Christie to block $7.5 million tax dollars to Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion business. Christie, who is pro-life, vetoed Planned Parenthood funding numerous times and redirected those funds to federally qualified community health centers.
Current Gov. Phil Murphy, who is pro-abortion, said he will sign the legislation.
Pro-abortion state Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin claimed the legislation will “restore women’s health care funding” to the state budget.
Marie Tasy, executive director of New Jersey Right to Life, said that just is not true. She pointed to federally qualified health centers in the state that serve low-income women and provide more comprehensive health care than Planned Parenthood.
“It is both irresponsible and unconscionable that Senate and Assembly leaders and Governor Murphy are moving full steam ahead to force New Jersey taxpayers to fund Planned Parenthood, an organization that is currently under investigation by the FBI for the illegal sale of baby body parts,” Tasy told the local news.
In December, the U.S. Department of Justice said it is investigating whether the abortion chain illegally sold aborted baby body parts.
Tasy said pro-abortion legislators are pandering to their “extreme base” by pushing through this legislation. She said her organization delivered petitions signed by hundreds of state residents to the Senate committee in opposition to the bill.
SIGN THE PETITION! Congress Must De-Fund Planned Parenthood Immediately
“… forcing NJ taxpayers to fund Planned Parenthood is shocking, shameful, and needs to be vigorously opposed if you live in NJ,” Tasy wrote in a letter to supporters.
Federally qualified health centers outnumber Planned Parenthood facilities by more than 20 to one across the nation, and provide more health care services than Planned Parenthood. The only thing they do not do is abortions.
The taxpayer dollars that used to go to Planned Parenthood now fund these health centers in New Jersey, ensuring women have access to quality care.
“Everything from cancer screenings and mammograms for women to prostate cancer screenings for men to diabetes treatment and to everything in between that can lead folks to greater healthcare available to them and can lead to greater health results for each and every person who walks through the door,” Gov. Christie said previously.
There are many reasons why the state defunded Planned Parenthood. Several years ago, the abortion group was found engaging in fraudulent Medicaid activity in New Jersey.
The U.S. Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services uncovered a consistent problem with New Jersey-based family planning clinics run by the Planned Parenthood abortion business. A government audit found that they were improperly billing Medicaid for services that did not qualify as family planning.
An initial audit revealed New Jersey improperly received federal reimbursement at the enhanced 90 percent rate for 160,955 prescription drug claims that were billed as family planning, but did not qualify as family planning services. A letter from the Inspector General to New Jersey officials recommended that New Jersey repay $2,219,746 to the federal government.
The state eventually did return the money to the federal government.
ACTION: Contact New Jersey legislators here.
