Texas lawmakers send family planning money to pro-life centers

Texas lawmakers send family planning money to pro-life centers

Written by EDITORIAL STAFF
April 4, 2011

Texas lawmakers passed a series of amendments to the biennial state budget
that would move nearly $70 million in funding for family planning to
organizations that provide alternatives to abortion and other health
services.

The 2012-13 budget passed 98-49, largely along party lines, in the Texas
House late Sunday night, and Democrats were seen voting “present” instead of
rejecting amendments providing extra funding for mental health services for
children, trauma care, and funding for the deaf and the blind, according to
the Texas Tribune.

In a 100-44 vote Friday, the House passed an amendment by Republican Rep.
Randy Weber that transfers almost $7.4 million from family planning funding
to crisis pregnancy centers, which provide alternatives to abortions.

Abortion giant Planned Parenthood responded on Twitter, saying, “Outrageous!
TX House just voted to take $8.3 million from family planning to give to
unregulated crisis pregnancy centers for the next 2 yrs.”

House GOP then started diverting family planning funding to other health
services, causing Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner to claim the amendments
were causing the lawmakers to choose between funding “child one or child
two.” He then urged Democrats to to abstain from voting on the amendments,
which as many as 44 members did.

Democrats shied away from talking about the abortions provided by family
planning services, but instead focused on how the cuts would affect the
screenings for diabetes, breast and cervical cancer testings, and other
medical screenings provided by the services.

But Holly Whitehead, executive director of Pregnancy Resources of Abilene,
Texas, said that there are a number of non-profit organizations, including
Alliance for Women and Children and the local health department, that also
provide medical examinations for women at a low cost without providing
abortions. She also stressed that these organizations do not have the
profit component of Planned Parenthood and other family planning
organizations.

“I think that putting money into human services that are helpful to women
and families is a good thing,” she said, noting that with the extra money,
those organizations will be able to expand their services.

House Republicans also passed amendments that diverted family planning
funding to other health services, causing Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner
to claim the amendments were causing the lawmakers to choose between funding
“child one or child two.” He then urged Democrats to to abstain from voting
on the amendments, which as many as 44 members did.

One amendment would add $6.6 million to pay for services for children with
autism, while another moved $1 million to mental health services for
children. Also in the bill were amendments to move money to trauma care,
early childhood intervention and the Department of Aging and Disability
Services, and care for the deaf and the blind. All of the amendments were
adopted.

Republican Rep. Wayne Christian, who proposed the amendment moving money
from family planning to autism said, “We don’t choose between good and bad,
we choose between necessary and necessary,” according to the Texas Tribune.

Source:

http://online.worldmag.com/2011/04/04/texas-lawmakers-send-family-planning-money-to-pro-life-centers

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