UPDATED. Ohio Gov. John Kasich vetoed 22 line items in the state budget he signed last night. But, despite strong protests, he did not not veto abortion restrictions that were stuck into the budget bill, leaving the state with some of the most repressive anti-abortion policies in the nation.
The budget also strips $2 million in family planning funds from Planned Parenthood, redirecting those funds toward deceptive crisis pregnancy centers. It also includes a provision denying federal funding to rape crisis centers who provide information on abortion to rape victims.
One of the anti-abortion provisions set forth in the budget could potentially close a number of abortion clinics in Ohio, as it prohibits abortion clinics from having transfer agreements with public hospitals in cases where a patient needs additional care. However, in order for ambulatory surgical centers to be licensed by the state, they are required to have such transfer agreements. Catch-22! The budget also included an ultrasound amendment requiring doctors to determine if there is a fetal heartbeat and inform women of the likelihood that the fetus would survive to full term.
More to come on this developing story.
Illustration of Kasich by Flickr user DonkeyHotey under license from Creative Commons 2.0
