Oklahoma overwhelmingly votes to defund Planned Parenthood
Oklahoma state senators passed a bill this week that would effectively defund Planned Parenthood.
Senate Bill 900, which re-allocates family planning funds to public providers and hospitals instead of private providers like Planned Parenthood, passed by a vote of 33 to 8.
The bill has now passed on Friday, with the House following suit with a vote of 65 to 12. Although the bill does not mention Planned Parenthood by name, it will redirect funds allocated to private family care providers to public hospitals.
Planned Parenthood supporters at protest 2011 photo/S. MiRK via wikimedia commons
Critics are objecting that the state Senate was able to pass the bill somewhat under the radar because it was not posted on Wednesday’s legislative agenda.
Planned Parenthood operates five clinics in Oklahoma and serves about 8,400 men and women there a year.
The family planning provider has faced scrutiny from Republicans in recent years because it provides abortions.
State Rep. Doug Cox (R), a family physician, said he will vote against the legislation when the House takes it up on Thursday. “To defund a program like Planned Parenthood would be a mistake,” he told The Huffington Post in a phone interview. “They perform a valuable service as far as breast cancer screenings, cervical cancer screenings, parenting classes, many things that benefit our state that we’re sorely in need of.”
The bill does not stipulate that those facilities be barred from committing abortions in order to receive funds.
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Until a federal judge gets ahold of it and strikes it down.