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Monday, April 25, 2011

Ind. Gov't. - "Planned Parenthood funding fight may force Gov. Daniels to choose between social, fiscal conservatism"

Great headline today for this story by Dan Carden of the NWI Times. Even better is the story lede:

INDIANAPOLIS | The Republican-controlled Indiana General Assembly is close to forcing Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels to choose between his dedication to financial prudence and his social conservative principles.
More from the story:
At issue is House Bill 1210, which the Senate changed last week to defund Planned Parenthood of Indiana, the largest abortion-provider in the state and a frequent punching bag for anti-abortion conservatives.

The legislation, which is headed to a House-Senate conference committee, prohibits the state from distributing $3 million in federal funds that are used to provide 22,000 low-income Hoosiers with low-cost birth control. Federal funds are prohibited by law from being spent on abortion.

Betty Cockrum, president of Planned Parenthood of Indiana, said if Indiana blocks federal funds for birth control services at Planned Parenthood -- which has health centers in East Chicago, Gary and Michigan City -- it will lead to more unwanted pregnancies in Indiana and more abortions.

"If they want to reduce the number of abortions, it makes no sense to make birth control harder to get for thousands of Hoosiers who rely on Planned Parenthood of Indiana for their preventive health care," Cockrum said.

Other provisions of the pending legislation also would make it more difficult for Indiana women to obtain an abortion if they want one, likely leading to more births -- at an added cost to the state.

According to the Family and Social Services Administration, more than half of Indiana births are paid for by Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program for low-income Americans. * * *

For state Sen. Scott Schneider, R-Indianapolis, who led the Senate charge to defund Planned Parenthood, it's wrong to reduce the question to dollars and cents.

"The sanctity of human life should supersede any of those decisions," Schneider said.

But the governor has a track record of supporting small expenses today to avoid much larger expenses down the road, especially when the money at stake comes from the federal government.

For example, Daniels' prison sentencing reform plan would save Indiana billions in prison construction and staffing costs in years to come by reducing sentences now for low-level felony offenders.

So what will the anti-abortion, fiscally conservative governor do regarding the proposed defunding of Planned Parenthood?

[More] See also this Sunday column in the Evansville Courier & Press by Eric Bradner. It begins:
If it's possible for a key issue to exist at this stage in the 2012 governor's race, it could whether Planned Parenthood should receive any government dollars.

The expected Republican candidate, U.S. Rep. Mike Pence, has made defunding the organization that provides women's health services — including, at some locations, abortions — his public focus in recent months.

And former Indiana House Speaker John Gregg, the man who is growing more likely to become his Democratic opponent, is talking about it too.

"The problem in America isn't Planned Parenthood. It's unplanned parenthood," Gregg said at the Washington Township Democratic Club in Indianapolis last week, according to Howey Politics Indiana.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on April 25, 2011 08:42 AM
Posted to Indiana Government