North Carolina votes to defund Planned Parenthood

Participants shout slogans and display placards during a rally to 'stand up for women's health' at the National Mall in Washington, DC, on April 7, 2011.

/ JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images

The North Carolina state legislature passed legislation on Wednesday that will strip Planned Parenthood of its funding in the state, making the Tar Heel state the third in the nation to defund the non-profit family planning and health care organization.

In a 31-19 state Senate vote, North Carolina lawmakers overrode Democratic Governor Beverly Perdue's veto of the bill, a two-year budget that cuts taxes, reduces environmental oversight power, and slashes funding for a number of educational and medical programs, including Planned Parenthood.

Planned Parenthood provides a number services, including family planning, reproductive health care, sex education, testing and treatment, screening for cervical and other cancers, and abortions. According to a report by Politifact, abortions make up just under three percent of the procedures Planned Parenthood provided in 2009, the most recent year for which statistics are available.

And while Planned Parenthood receives government funding through Title X, which provides aid for family planning and reproductive health, a provision called the Hyde Amendment prohibits state and federal money from going toward paying for abortions. 

The $434,000 that Planned Parenthood North Carolina (PPNC) usually receives in state and federal funds accounts for about four percent of its annual budget.

Paige Johnson, the Vice President of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood of Central North Carolina, told Hotsheet the organization plans to fight the ban immediately.

"We're not preparing to limit the scope of our services or to turn patents away," she said on Thursday. "We are preparing to fight this in court and we think we'll prevail - that we'll get an injunction immediately."

Barring that, however, she warned that women and men seeking health care services in North Carolina could be hit with months-long waits if the organization's services are interrupted by the withdrawal of funds.

"The waiting time at the local health department is up to three months" in some areas, Johnson said, while Planned Parenthood is routinely able to provide the same services "the very week a woman calls."

Johnson argued the increasingly heated debates over Planned Parenthood in recent months were indicative of an "unfortunate" political trend - but that the people who would really be affected would be "the ones who don't have access to care if we don't prevail in court."

In her Sunday veto of the North Carolina budget, Gov. Perdue argued that the bill was "ideologically driven" and "blatantly ignores the values of North Carolina's people."

"I cannot support a budget that sends the message that North Carolina is moving backwards, when we have always been a state that led the nation," Perdue wrote in a statement following the veto.

Earlier this year, the Republican lawmakers in Washington attached a similar measure in the federal budget bill. The bill passed in the House, but failed in the Senate.

[brnstb007]

Volunteer to raise them? Where do you think the money for welfare comes from?

[twatts1000]

"That's why people need to continue to go to the town halls, continue to melt the phone lines of their [sic] members of Congress, and let them know, under no certain circumstances will I give the government control over my body and my health care decisions." -Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

[ccccccin]

It might be "easy" for some, but fortunately for most of us it is simply unacceptable to let ill concieved unwanted children die of starvation. This humanity factor is what seperates us from animals. I really dont think Shawn, that you could stand by and watch a child suffer a horrific and painfull death. So think about how "easy" it would be!.

This blog @ those who say cutting PPH and welfare would be "easy"

[justme2012]

Where in America are children starving to death?

You've seen this? Did you give them food?

[justme2012]

spoken like a typical democrat.

[Bisk1]

Elections have Consequences and if you'd allowed the very Dumb Repugs to take control the last elections, you and your state just has to Deal with the dumbazzes, basically you're SCREWED. Dumb Dumb Repugs !!

[justme2012]

The bottom line in this issue is that the STATE has the RIGHT to spend their money how their citizens want their money spent.

If their citizens don't agree, they go to the polls in the next election and change things.

Their state, their business, their decision!

[ccccccin]

I personally don't understand the teapub inspired backward ass thinking, with out free condoms and bc-pills many future children will be born, and will likely starve to death or more than likely be tax-payer fed and clothed for 18 years. For God's sake do the math, the price of a few condoms and pills now vs welfare for 18 years! God help this Country especially these three backward states! They are going backward and that my fellow bloggers is definitly the wrong direction!

[brnstb007]

The price of abstinance is cheaper than condoms. You libs don't like abstinence because it reduces the pool of underage sexual partners you all seek.

[veritasamo]

This was actually a very biased article missing much information. Planned Parenthood makes over 90% of its money from birth control and abortion, with the other services barely making a dent. Where she got that 3% figure from is a genuine mystery. Also, they are very limited in the services they provide, and doing mammograms is NOT one of them. Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood was a racist who deliberately set out to decrease the minority population through her 'free services.' Read her writings and you'll see how she sought to ingratiate herself with black leaders so they would unwittingly help her decimate their own people. She helped spread the idea of the 'fit' races vs the 'unfit' ones which is carried out today through the concentration of PP clinics in minority neighborhoods.
I see lots of hatred toward conservatives on this site. Lots of assumptions and lots of bigotry. I'm not surprised. This is an Old Left Media site and it caters to the hate-filled and arrogant left.

[Lindag10]

Hi Marine: The religious are out in full force. They are a strange lot to say the least. They insist their beliefs give them some sort of moral superiorty over the rest of humankind and the authority to sit in judgement over everyone, especially the poor and order their lives. I find it an oxymoron that they order the poor to use programs like Medicade while at the same time complaining about the cost of the programs and fighting tooth and nail to eliminate them. Their religion has robbed them of any compassion and concern for the wellbeing of any but their "chosen". Somehow if they had any "milk of humankindness" it soured on them long ago. I speak up on behalf of the poor, but know it's not going to impact the religious. They're sort of like the stupid, can't be changed. LOL

[justme2012]

rightontarget,

No one is taking PP away from you. A state is simply not going to use taxpayer monies to fund a private organization. They are not going out of business. They are not outlawed. You can even give them donations if you want to help make up the difference in funding. Do you need help finding their donation page?

[nearl451]

All this nastiness, and a shortsighted decision by the Legislature.

Going to the Courts anyway.

[justme2012]

And so the courts are supposed to decide where states spend their money? I don't think so!

[justme2012]

Commerce clause has absolutely nothing to do with state budgets.

look it up

[Lindag10]

by Pre1935Liberal June 16, 2011 8:29 PM EDT
Speaking of guns. Since it is a fundamental right to own a gun, how do I get Congress to pass a bill to fund the NRA to help me buy more guns?


------------------

Just ask the religious right to help you out. I'm sure they'd be eager to shift the funding from Planned Parenthood to NRA and enable you to get MORE guns. LOL there

[justme2012]

Or just go to the border and pretend to be a drug runner and Eric Holder will give you automatic weapons!!!

[Lindag10]

Marine: I just ignore Justme, the paid Tea Party hack's posts as they're so much spam. Just sayin'.

[brnstb007]

What exactly is Family Planning?
Do you sit down with these rats and say, gee, in 2 years I want a girl, in 8 years I want a boy, and in 10 years I want to get married?
Or is it sitting down with these rats and asking how they can rip the baby out of your belly?

[justme2012]

Obama's discontinuing food stamps?

I knew he cut out the ACG and SMART grants for students, but I didn't know he was cutting out food stamps too.