The Ohio House of Representatives Tuesday voted to reroute federal money to any federally-approved health clinics which do not perform abortions or associate through contract with any which perform abortions, including Planned Parenthood.
The bill, House Bill 294, coordinated the reassignment of nearly $1.3 million in federal and state grants from places such as the “Violence Against Women Act,” the “Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative,” and the “Infertility prevention project” to health clinics meeting stipulations outlined in the bill.
The Ohio Department of Health will ensure money will not “(1) Perform non-therapeutic abortions; (2) Promote non-therapeutic abortions; (3) Contract with any entity that performs or promotes non-therapeutic abortions; (4) Become or continue to be an affiliate of any entity that performs or promotes non-therapeutic abortions,” reads the bill.
Ohio has 280 federally-qualified health centers which serve as alternatives for the 28 Planned Parenthood centers. Ohio women can find these on GetYourCare.org.
Screengrab from GetYourCare.org, showing the 280 health care providers which, if Ohio Governor John Kasich signs the bill, will absorb Planned Parenthood’s federal funding
Ohio Governor John Kasich, a candidate in the 2016 presidential race, is expected to sign the bill, which now heads to the Ohio Senate, where it is also expected to pass. A similar bill passed in the Senate in October 23-10.
“I’m not gonna jeopardize anybody’s health, but Planned Parenthood ought to learn that what they were doing was not acceptable,” Kasich said at a campaign event in New Hampshire. “We don’t think [a shortage of health care centers] is a problem, because there are many different entities that can handle this, from our hospitals throughout the state of Ohio to our federal clinics.”
The measure passed 62-33 along party lines, with one Democrat, Bill Patmon, voting yea and two Republicans voting nay. State Representative Margaret Conditt (R) sponsored the bill, and said she is pleased with the outcome and hopeful for the future of the bill.
“We want to encourage research and discussion on how we can improve our infant mortality rate, and we believe state funding should be used for those kinds of programs, rather than programs that support or promote non-therapeutic abortions,” Conditt said.
Planned Parenthood so far has responded with social media posts attacking Ohio representatives, which they call “extremists,” especially for their list of providers, which the corporation has called unsatisfactory.
Screengrab from Planned Parenthood Action’s Facebook post in the wake of the Ohio House vote to reroute federal money for women’s health to other care providers