Virginia Pro-Life Advocates: Cut Planned Parenthood Funds to Balance Budget
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
November 21, 2008
Richmond, VA (LifeNews.com) — Like other states, Virginia faces a budget crunch and the governor and state lawmakers will have to fund ways to balance the $77 billion budget in a difficult economy. Pro-life advocates have an idea on a way to help — by cutting funding to the Planned Parenthood abortion business.
Like most states, Virginia sends thousands of dollars to the pro-abortion group for family planning services.
Though the money doesn’t directly pay for abortions, pro-life advocates say it’s fungible and Planned Parenthood’s own money spent promoting and performing abortions is supplemented by state funds.
The Family Foundation, a pro-life group, held a press conference on Thursday urging lawmakers to cut the $250,000 the state has paid the abortion business.
With pro-abortion Gov. Timothy Kaine saying $2.5 million must be cut from the budget and state legislators saying the figure may be as high as $4 million, the Family Forum says it makes sense.
"Virginia taxpayers should not be asked to subsidize the activities of the nation’s largest abortion provider. They should not be asked to subsidize their partisan political activities," Family Foundation president Victoria Cobb said, according to the Virginia Pilot newspaper.
The newspaper also quoted Jessica Honke, policy director for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, who claimed abortion comprises just 7 percent of its services. Honke attacked the Family Foundation with claims that its family planning efforts help reduce abortions, even though state doesn’t appear to be the case elsewhere.
Kaine spokeswoman Delacey Skinner also talked with the newspaper and said cutting Planned Parenthood’s funding "isn’t practical, it’s not rational, and it’s not an approach that is results-based."
The pro-life group may have more success working with friendly state legislators and cutting the funding from the budget in the legislature before the bill gets to the governor.
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