New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy grinned widely Wednesday as he signed a new law forcing state taxpayers to fund the largest abortion chain in America.
Murphy, a pro-abortion Democrat, bragged that the legislation to give $7.5 million annually to Planned Parenthood is his first bill as the new governor of New Jersey, NJ.com reports.
“I don’t have to tell you all that today has certainly been a long time coming,” Murphy said. “New Jersey will once again stand strong for Planned Parenthood and reproductive rights.”
The governor also claimed he was standing for the “right values” by funding the abortion chain.
Surrounding Murphy for the signing ceremony were local abortion activists as well as Cecile Richards, the CEO of Planned Parenthood.
Pro-life advocates lamented the news, pointing to the abortion chain’s unethical practices.
“Today, Governor Murphy thumbed his nose at the hardworking citizens of NJ and signed two bills which will use $7.5M of our tax money to fund the salaries and operation expenses of his favorite constituency, Planned Parenthood, regardless of their past record showing they engaged in Medicaid fraud,” Marie Tasy, executive director of New Jersey Right to Life, told LifeNews.
The new law reverses decisions by former pro-life Gov. Chris Christie to block about $7.5 million annually in tax dollars to Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion business. Christie, who is pro-life, vetoed Planned Parenthood funding numerous times and redirected the family planning funds to federally qualified community health centers.
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.
Abortion activists complained repeatedly that women lost access to health care when Planned Parenthood’s funding was cut, but state health officials refuted these claims.
New Jersey Health Commissioners testified numerous times that they did not received any complaints about a lack of comprehensive health care during those eight years under Christie, Tasy said. More than 100 comprehensive health clinics received funding at that time to offer more services – such as mammograms and prenatal care – than Planned Parenthood provides.
“Likewise on the topic of STDs, the NJ Health Officials testified that they have gone up in every state in the nation, but that NJ actually had one of the lowest increases in the nation. To claim that STDs went up because Planned Parenthood wasn’t receiving taxpayer funding, is nothing more than a hyperbole and is not grounded in fact,” Tasy said.
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“If anyone is playing politics, it is Governor Murphy, who, boastfully, as his first act as Governor, signs bills that will use our tax dollars to reward a political, partisan organization that helped elect him,” she continued.
Interestingly, even a female lawmaker who supports Planned Parenthood voted against the bill after the abortion chain refused to say how it would use the tax dollars.
Planned Parenthood in New Jersey has a history of unethical practices with tax dollars. 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 returned the money to the federal government.
ACTION: Contact the Governor here with your complaints.
