Kansas Gov Sam Brownback moves to defund Planned Parenthood
photo/ TaxRebate.org.uk
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback announced Tuesday that he would act to cut off state Medicaid dollars to Planned Parenthood affiliates and called on state legislators to sign his policy into law.
In his State of the State speech, the Republican governor said he would ask state Department of Health and Environment Secretary Susan Mosier to “ensure that not a single dollar of taxpayer money goes to Planned Parenthood. I welcome legislation that would enshrine this directive in state law.”
Brownback said in a Tuesday post on Facebook that, “Trafficking of #babybodyparts is antithetical to our belief in human dignity. No more Kansas Medicaid dollars will go to Planned Parenthood.”
Kansas becomes the eighth state to take action to defund Planned Parenthood since the hidden-camera Center for Medical Progress videos linked the organization to the sale of fetal tissue from abortions for medical research, improperly disposed of fetal tissue and misled women over procedures.
“Not one more penny should go to Planned Parenthood, a scandal-plagued abortion business that does not provide comprehensive health care services for women. Gov. Brownback’s directive will terminate funding for Planned Parenthood, freeing up money for more widely available and more comprehensive low-cost healthcare optionsfor women and families in Kansas. Taxpayer dollars should not go to organizations with a long track record of abusive and potentially fraudulent billing practices, that have been caught in authenticated undercover videos trafficking aborted babies’ body parts, and that have repeatedly failed to report the sexual abuse of girls. The governor is right to end the state’s relationship with an organization undeserving of its money and unworthy of its trust.” (#DefundPP) Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Casey Mattox.
Elise Higgins, a lobbyist for Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri, told the Associated Press that the affiliate would fight the governor’s directive. She said state clinics receive about $61,000 per year in reimbursements for health exams, cancer screenings and birth control for poor women.
photo/Pro-Life Action League
