June 5, 2007

Funds For Abortion Provider Remain in Proposed State Budget

The Tennessee state Senate Finance Committee rejected attempts to strip funding for abortion-provider Planned Parenthood out of the proposed state budget Tuesday. Tennessee Right to Life reports...

Pro-life members of the Senate Finance Committee failed today to pass any budget amendments to restrict funding of abortion promoter Planned Parenthood. Despite a pro-life majority on the committee, not a single vote was cast against funding Planned Parenthood. As a result, the agency will continue to receive more than one million tax dollars under the guise of providing "family planning" services and education.

Committee members heard from Commissioner of Health Susan Cooper who told them that it would be impossible to provide federal Title X services without contracting with Planned Parenthood. One failed pro-life amendment would have limited Planned Parenthood's contract to six months. A second failed amendment would have required the state health department to begin seeking alternative agencies to provide the "family planning" services.

Pro-abortion Governor Phil Bredesen's budget now moves forward with the Planned Parenthood funding intact. The proposal has drawn fire across the state, especially among radio talk show hosts and political bloggers including Bill Hobbs who wrote, "pro-life Republicans who vote for Bredesen's budget with the Planned Parenthood money in it are voting, in effect, to subsidize abortion."

Tennessee Right to Life remains committed to defunding Planned Parenthood according to Karen Brukardt, legislative liaison, who said, "we'll be back next year and every year necessary until we succeed in protecting Tennessee's taxpayers and Tennessee's unborn children."

Members of the Senate Finance Committee include: Chairman Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge), Vice-chair Douglas Henry (D-Nashville), Senators Tim Burchett (R-Knoxville), Diane Black (R-Gallatin), Raymond Finney (R-Maryville), Mark Norris (R-Collierville), and Bo Watson (R-Hixson), all pro-life in their voting records.

Pro-abortion members of the committee include: Senators Jim Kyle (D-Memphis), Joe Haynes (D-Nashville), Rosalind Kurita (D-Clarksville), and mixed record John Wilder (D-Somerville.)

Tennessee Right to Life also should seek to develop non-abortion-providing alternatives to Planned Parenthood for Title X services that do not involve subsidizing the country's biggest abortion mill.