Newsflash: Indiana Votes To Defund Planned Parenthood

Indiana is set to become the first state to defund Planned Parenthood. The state’s House voted 66-32 yesterday to cut the $3 million in federal money the state distributes to Planned Parenthood’s family planning and health programs. The Senate voted to approve the measure earlier this month, and the bill now hits Gov. Mitch Daniels’ desk, where most expect that he’ll sign it.

HB 1210 is extremely restrictive. Aside from defunding Planned Parenthood, it would also:

  • Ban abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy–even though the Supreme Court has ruled abortions are allowed until fetal viability, which is generally at 24 weeks.
  • Force women seeking abortions to be informed in writing that they could face a greater risk of infertility, greater danger to subsequent pregnancies and an increased risk of breast cancer if they have an abortion. All three of these claims are false.
  • Force women seeking abortions to see a fetal ultrasound and hear the fetal heart beat unless they refuse in writing, in advance.
  • Make it state policy that fetuses feel pain and that life begins at conception. This would be explained to a woman before an abortion.
  • Cost the state approximately $4 million in federal Medicaid family planning funds, because federal law does not allow states to choose which providers can offer family planning services to Medicaid patients.

Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America has called on Gov. Daniels to veto the bill, saying,

It’s time for Governor Daniels, who called for a truce on social issues, to stay true to his word. As he promised, Governor Daniels should fix the economy and veto this bill that is driven by a clear social agenda and will cost the taxpayers of Indiana money.

If the bill becomes law, Planned Parenthood will challenge it in court. Sign the petition asking Gov. Daniels to veto the bill here.

Image from Flickr user WeNews under Creative Commons 3.0

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Dahlia Grossman-Heinze is a feminist, an avid viewer of every Real Housewives series and very into Britney Spears.