New Jersey Governor Christie Vetoes Bill Sending Millions to Planned Parenthood
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
July 23, 2010
Trenton, NJ (LifeNews.com) — New Jersey Governor Chris Christie won the praise of pro-life advocates today by vetoing a bill that would restore the family planning funds his administration cut from the state budget because of deep economic troubles. Although it doesn’t fund abortions directly, the money goes to the Planned Parenthood abortion business.
The funds go to 58 family planning clinics but Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion chain, runs 29 of the facilities.
Christie thinks there’s little reason to send the abortion centers $7.5 million when the state currently faces an $11 billion deficit.
He said the "unprecedented financial difficulties" of the state made it so the money was better off not spent.
"Reproductive health care services will continue to be available in each of New Jersey’s 21 counties, including Planned Parenthood clinics, local health department clinics, standing free clinics, and hospital-based clinics," he said.
Christie’s state budget removed the millions in funding for the abortion businesses but Democrats, in June, voted to restore the health and family planning services via a supplemental funding bill that is on his desk.
Marie Tasy, executive director of New Jersey Right to Life, told LifeNews.com this afternoon, "For far too long and without voter approval, NJ taxpayers were forced to fund Planned Parenthood in the state budget under ‘family planning services.’"
"By vetoing the bill, Governor Christie freed NJ taxpayers from complicity with the nation’s largest abortion provider," she said.
She said Planned Parenthood should not be funded by state taxpayers, even though the money doesn’t directly fund abortions, because "every New Jersey family planning center under Planned Parenthood’s control counsels and refers for abortion."
"Despite assertions to the contrary from some lawmakers that none of the money will be used for abortion, the funds will be used for abortion because these centers have the mutual financial advantage of referring pregnant clients to one of the three “Planned Parenthood/family planning” centers that perform abortion," she said.
Tasy also noted that the national Planned Parenthood annual report shows its centers don’t provide many other services apart from abortion.
In its most recent annual report for the year ending June, 2008, Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its affiliates list the following pregnancy services: 305,310 abortions, 4,012 adoption referrals and 10,914 prenatal care services.
"These statistics and their disproportionate ratios confirm that they are the largest provider of abortions in the nation, and that contrary to many of their supporters’ assertions, they are indeed all about abortion and not about saving lives," she said.
"We commend Governor Christie for his steadfast opposition to restoring these funds and for working to promote the best health care for all New Jersey citizens," she concluded.
As of June, Christie had been resolute in his decision to cut the funds.
"I don’t believe that is a priority in a budget where you have to cut $11 billion," the governor said. "I believe that women have the opportunity to access health care all across New Jersey. Family planning has nothing to do with mammograms, and don’t put the two of them together."
Related web sites:
Contact Governor Christie – https://www.nj.gov/nj/feedback.html
New Jersey Right to Life – https://www.njrtl.org
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