Amsterdam, NY (LifeNews.com) -- A local Planned Parenthood in the Schenectady area is planning to build a new facility and will use $350,000 in taxpayer funding to do it. Planned Parenthood Mohawk Hudson is seeking approval from the state to build the new center on state Route 30 that won't do abortions but will refer women for them.

PPMH CEO Paul Drisgula announced the plans to build the new facility on Thursday, and it will distribute birth control and do non-abortion reproductive health care.

However, pro-life groups say the legitimate health services Planned Parenthood includes are a way to cover the fact that it is the nation's largest abortion business.

Drisgula said the new facility will be a 2,452-square-foot site that will be funded by the state Department of Health and Crime Victims Board.

To get started, Planned Parenthood needs the approval of the state Health Department’s Certificate of Need process. He told the Daily Gazette newspaper the process normally takes nine months to approve but he hopes state officials will expedite it.

The $350,000 in state funding will likely come through the federal Title 10 family planning grant New York receives, Drisgula told the newspaper.

The new facility is expected to take over from Amsterdam Memorial Hospital, where most of the local family planning services have been.

ACTION: Contact state officials and express your opposition to the new Planned Parenthood at Bureau of Project Management, Division of Health Facility Planning, New York State Department of Health, 433 River Street, Suite 303, Troy, New York 12180-2299. Email cons@health.state.ny.us