Kansas Gov. Parkinson Must Decide on Anti-Planned Parenthood Budget Soon

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   May 20, 2009   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Kansas Gov. Parkinson Must Decide on Anti-Planned Parenthood Budget Soon

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
May 20
, 2009

Topeka, KS (LifeNews.com) — Newly-minted Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson, who is pro-abortion, says he will decide by Friday on a state budget that eliminates funding for the Planned Parenthood abortion business. Should Parkinson sign the bill, Kansas will become just the seventh state to zero out funding for the pro-abortion group.

Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri currently receives approximately $275,000 in taxpayer funds.

Although state tax dollars don’t pay directly for abortions, state legislators cut out funding because Planned Parenthood does abortions — including late-term abortions at its Overland Park facility.

That center is embroiled in a case involving charges that will head to the Kansas Supreme Court next week alleging that some of the late-term abortions were illegal and that it falsified medical records to cover up that fact.

Knowing the allegations, State Senator Tim Huelskamp announced an effort last December to end taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood in Kansas.

His amendment redirects tax money that once went to Planned Parenthood to hospitals and other legitimate health care clinics.

Whether Parkinson will sign or veto the budget is anyone’s guess and other issues could drive him to sign or veto the budget bill.

But, if Parkinson decides based on the issue of abortion, he could veto the measure.

Parkinson has described his abortion views as "very similar, if not completely similar" to former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, the abortion advocates whom President Barack Obama chose to become his health secretary.

Troy Newman, the president of Kansas-based Operation Rescue, told LifeNews.com that Planned Parenthood will still receive taxpayer funds from Missouri, but Kansas should eliminate its share of public funding.

"Planned Parenthood is making a killing double dipping from the taxpayers’ pockets in two states. As a private business, if they cannot stay afloat on their own, we certainly cannot afford to keep bailing them out year after year," he said.

He called on Parkinson to sign the bill and pro-life advocates to contact him asking him to do so.

"Now is the time for Gov. Parkinson to hear from the majority of taxpayers who do not want their money going to abortion businesses like Planned Parenthood," said Newman. "This will be his first test on abortion, and we will see if he is responsive to the will of the people, or simply another puppet of the abortion cartel."

Huelskamp previously talked about his amendment, which was fueled in part by the release of an undercover audio recording of a phone call to Planned Parenthood where an illegal sexual relationship between a supposed 14-year old girl and a 23-year old man was ignored.

"Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the nation, has come under increasing scrutiny for alleged criminal violations, including illegal late-term abortions and failure to report sexual abuse of young girls," Huelskamp told LifeNews.com previously.

"Despite these allegations of impropriety — and more than a hundred criminal charges – this year Kansas taxpayers paid out nearly $300,000 to subsidize this entity," he added.

ACTION: Contact Governor Parkinson at 877-579-6757 or 785-296-3232, fax 785-368-8788 or email [email protected]

Related web sites:
Kansas Governor – https://www.governor.ks.gov
Kansans for Life – https://www.kfl.org

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