Defunding Planned Parenthood

The Ohio Senate on Wednesday advanced a bill defunding Planned Parenthood. In this photo, anti-abortion activists sign a pink bus parked outside the Ohio Statehouse during an event urging lawmakers to defund Planned Parenthood.

(Jackie Borchardt, cleveland.com)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio Senate on Wednesday passed a bill "defunding" Planned Parenthood, but it could be weeks before Gov. John Kasich signs the measure into law.

The Senate approved the bill along party lines in a 22-8 vote. Because Senators amended the bill earlier in the day, the House must agree to the changes before it is sent to Kasich. The House is next scheduled to meet Feb. 9.

House Bill 294 would block abortion providers and entities that contract with abortion providers from receiving federal and state dollars earmarked for infant mortality prevention, HIV testing, breast and cervical cancer testing, and programs under the Violence Against Women Act.

Planned Parenthood received about $1.3 million last year for those programs, which was awarded through a competitive grant process. Ten county or city health departments currently receive grants and subcontract with Planned Parenthood to provide services.

The bill's supporters, including sponsors Democratic Rep. Bill Patmon and Republican Rep. Margaret Conditt, said the money would be better spent by community health centers and other agencies.

Sen. Shannon Jones, a Springboro Republican, said the money will go to clinics that offer more comprehensive health care and the bill allocates $250,000 toward infant mortality prevention, a Wednesday amendment to the bill.

"We aren't eliminating money for women and women's health," Jones said. "We're actually enhancing by directing those resources to some of those things we're trying to build in this state."

But the bill's opponents have questioned the ability of health departments, federally qualified health centers, and other facilities to fill the gap left by Planned Parenthood.

Sen. Kenny Yuko, a Richmond Heights Democrat, said the programs in question will likely not be replaced. He said Planned Parenthood provides essential services, as evidenced by the dozens of patients and supporters who testified against the bill at the Statehouse.

"Everybody knows Planned Parenthood," Yuko said. "If you're a young girl in trouble, you have a need or a concern, you know you can go there you and know you will be treated with respect, you will be treated fairly, you will be treated adequately and follow-ups will be continued."

Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio CEO Stephanie Kight said the state's 28 centers will remain open if the bill becomes law, and they will look for funding to continue the affected education programs.

And on Tuesday, the Columbus Public Health department said it would be unable to contract with any Columbus hospital because they either provide abortion services, contract with abortion clinics, or refer patients to abortion services. The department also said the bill would prevent them from billing insurers that provide abortion coverage.

Abortion rights group NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio called the bill a "health care time bomb," that could cause the AIDS Resource Center Ohio to lose $1 million if it works with Ohio Health and Cuyahoga County to lose about $262,000 to stop infant mortality if it has any contract with University Hospitals or the Cleveland Clinic.

"John Kasich must veto this bill, or he admits he is willing to destroy public health goals in a spiteful attempt to punish Planned Parenthood," NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio Executive Director Kellie Copeland said in a statement.

Previous debate about the bill drew on secretly-recorded videos that purported to show Planned Parenthood officials in other states offering to sell fetal tissue. Since the Center for Medical Progress, an anti-abortion group, released the videos last summer, Republicans at the state and federal level have tried to cut funding to the organization.

Since the Senate first approved the legislation, an investigation by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine did not find Ohio clinics sold fetal tissue. And on Monday, a Texas grand jury cleared Planned Parenthood of any wrongdoing and instead indicted the anti-abortion activists who produced the videos.

Ohio Right to Life has Executive Director Stephanie Ranade Krider said Monday's indictment is a separate issue and her organization lobbied for defunding Planned Parenthood long before the videos were released. State and federal laws prohibit use of public money for abortions, but Krider said the money indirectly supports the abortion business.

"At the end of the day, Planned Parenthood receives 42 percent of their funding from government sources," Krider said. "That's a significant amount of their funds and they are the nation's largest abortion provider with no apologies for that. Unless they want to stop performing abortions, this is the natural consequence."