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Kasich Vows to Approve Planned Parenthood Cuts

As Gov. John Kasich moves on to the South Carolina primary, he will soon sign a Planned Parenthood defunding bill that could help boost his conservative bona fides.

By Jim Siegel

As Gov. John Kasich moves on to the South Carolina primary, he will soon sign a Planned Parenthood defunding bill that could help boost his conservative bona fides.

The House on Wednesday voted 59-32, giving final approval to a bill that will cut off Planned Parenthood from more than $1.3 million in state funding. This is on top of the loss of federal family planning money that Kasich signed in 2013.

"Gov. Kasich has worked with legislative leaders to ensure that public dollars are used to their best purpose," said Kasich spokesman Joe Andrews. "The Ohio Department of Health had already stopped awarding state dollars to Planned Parenthood."

Nationally, Kasich is viewed as more moderate than most, if not all of his fellow GOP presidential contenders. Asked if signing this bill will help with Kasich's conservative credentials, Senate President Keith Faber, R-Celina, said "he has a long track record of being pro-life."

Funding cut from Planned Parenthood will be redirected to other health clinics in Ohio. Supporters say it will help provide broader health care coverage across the state, but opponents argue that many of those clinics do not have the services or capacity to do what Planned Parenthood does.

The funding is not a large percentage of total money Planned Parenthood uses to operate 28 clinics in Ohio, but organization officials say the money is used for educational programs that will be impacted. Those include a Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies program, HIV counseling and testing, and sex education.

"They're taking money away from a young mother in the Mahoning Valley whose pregnant and working with us to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy first year of her child's life," said Stephanie Kight, president of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio.

Bill supporters strongly object to Planned Parenthood's abortion services. Three Planned Parenthood clinics in Ohio perform abortions -- in Columbus, Cincinnati and Bedford Heights, outside Cleveland.

"The rate of infant mortality for aborted babies is 100 percent," said Rep. Kristina Roegner, R-Hudson.

Ohio Right to Life officials said the bill has been at the top of their legislative agenda for years, and they praised lawmakers for ensuring taxpayer dollars are "shielded from the abortion industry." Planned Parenthood still receives Medicaid reimbursements.

Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood is firing back at Kasich in online ads that will reportedly run on Facebook and Ohio news outlets.

Rep. Kathleen Clyde, D-Kent, said state and federal law already prohibits Planned Parenthood from using public money to perform abortions.

"This bill undermines the very types of programs that not only improve health outcomes...but that also work to decrease the number of unwanted pregnancies and abortions," she said.

The bill also earmarks $250,000 for infant-mortality programs and provides pregnant women presumptive eligibility for Medicaid services.

Some, including Columbus officials, have raised concerns that wording in the bill could impact funding for local health departments. Kelli Arthur Hykes, director of public health policy for Columbus Public Health, said it could have a "significant impact" on the ability of local health departments to coordinate with some hospitals and insurance companies.

"The hospitals in our community either provide abortion, have physician's on-staff or with privileges that provide abortion services, and/or refer their patients to abortion providers," she relayed to lawmakers. "Local abortion providers are also required to have hospital patient transfer agreements on file. Therefore, we wouldn't be able to work with any hospital in our jurisdiction."

GOP legislative leaders have dismissed suggestions that passage of the bill, which was introduced in late July, was timed to give Kasich political help.

"We didn't think of that," Faber said. "It should have been to him before New Hampshire, if it wasn't held up in the House."

The Senate approved the House bill on Jan. 27, but the House adjourned before the Senate finished, delaying the final vote until Wednesday. Protestors who shouted "shame" after the vote were removed from the chamber.

(c)2016 The Columbus Dispatch (Columbus, Ohio)

Caroline Cournoyer is GOVERNING's senior web editor.
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