Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley announced Thursday that he was terminating the state’s Medicaid contract with Planned Parenthood, making it the third state to cut ties with the abortion provider following the release of undercover videos that allegedly show employees discussing the distribution of fetal organs.
“The deplorable practices at Planned Parenthood have been exposed to Americans, and I have decided to stop any association with the organization in Alabama,” said Bentley in a statement. “As a doctor and Alabama’s Governor, the issue of human life, from conception to birth and beyond, is extremely important to me. I respect human life, and I do not want Alabama to be associated with an organization that does not.”
In addition to Bentley’s actions, Alabama’s Senate also advanced a measure Thursday that would make it a felony to give or receive any money in return for fetal tissue. (RELATED: White House Says Planned Parenthood Videos Are Fake, Cites Planned Parenthood)
Yellowhammer News obtained a copy of Bentley’s letter to Planned Parenthood, which notes that the contract’s end will come in 15 days and that Planned Parenthood has the right to appeal the decision in a full hearing.
Exactly how much money Alabama was giving to Planned Parenthood per year is not immediately clear, according to The Associated Press. (RELATED: Nine More Videos Ready To Drop On Planned Parenthood)
Alabama’s payments were intended to pay for birth control for low-income women, but opponents of Planned Parenthood argued that such money still freed up Planned Parenthood’s own funds for providing abortions.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal made a similar move earlier this week, as did New Hampshire yesterday after its executive council voted 3-2 to override Gov. Maggie Hassan and reject a $639,000 contract with the organization. More states may join them soon, though, as investigations of Planned Parenthood prompted by the videos are still ongoing in several Republican-controlled states. (RELATED: New Hampshire Defunds Planned Parenthood, Rejects $600k Contract)
The lost funding is still a drop in the bucket compared to the $500 million in federal funds that Planned Parenthood receives every year, though. Senate Republicans tried to eliminate that funding this week but failed to get the sixty votes necessary to do so.
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