Bill to defund Planned Parenthood passes House and Senate

In an 21–19 vote along party lines, the Senate approved a bill yesterday to prohibit the Virginia Department of Health from funding Planned Parenthood and other groups that provide abortions.

March 8, 2016; 12:15 PM • by Capital News Service

By Grant Smith | Capital News Service

In an 21-19 vote along party lines, the Senate committee approved a bill on March 7th to prohibit the Virginia Department of Health from funding Planned Parenthood and other groups that provide abortions.

HB 1090 states that the Health Department “shall not enter into a contract with, or make a grant to, any entity that performs abortions that are not federally qualified abortions or maintains or operates a facility where non-federally qualified abortions are performed.”

That means the state would cut off funds for organizations that offer abortions that are not eligible for matching funds under Medicaid. This would include any abortion outside of cases of rape, incest, or “gross fetal anomalies.”

The bill has been amended so that it would not affect licensed hospitals that perform non-federally qualified abortions.

The bill’s sponsor, Del. Benjamin Cline, R-Amherst, has said his bill would “defund Planned Parenthood and redirect funds to more comprehensive health care for women.”

Dozens of supporters of Planned Parenthood attended the Senate committee meeting on March 3rd to testify in opposition of HB 1090. The committee limited public comment and requested that individuals submit written testimony instead.

Anna Scholl, executive director of Progress Virginia, a nonprofit advocacy group, spoke out against the committee’s decision. “No politician should decide for a woman which health care provider she can or cannot see, but today eight state senators decided they know better than women and their doctors,” Scholl said.

The Virginia Department of Health does not fund abortions for any reason outside of the Medicaid exceptions. Supporters of Planned Parenthood say HB 1090 would effectively cut off state funding for its services such as family planning counseling, birth control, and testing for sexually transmitted diseases.

The House passed the bill on a 64-35 vote on February 16th. Afterward, Cianti Stewart-Reid, executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, called on senators to reject it.

“This bill cannot become law,” she said. “The intent of this bill is clear–to shame and coerce women from accessing safe and legal abortion and ban access to Planned Parenthood.”

This bill could still be vetoed by the governor.