With pro-life Gov. Scott Walker signing the state budget into law in Wisconsin, the Badger State becomes the fourth to cut funding for the Planned Parenthood abortion business — following decisions by Indiana, North Carolina and Kansas to revoked funding entirely.
The legislation redirects $1 million in state and federal family planning funds away from Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. In 2010 Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin received more than $18 million in federal and state family planning funds that it claims has reduced abortions. However, the abortion business did 5,439 abortions in 2009, a 56% increase from 2008.
Wisconsin Right to Life praised Walker, with legislative director Susan Armacost saying, “Governor Walker and the state legislature acted courageously to protect Wisconsin taxpayers from having their tax dollars used to destroy human life. While there is more work to be done to protect taxpayers from paying for abortions, this state budget has greatly improved the situation. On behalf of Wisconsin Right to Life members and supporters throughout the state, we extend our heartfelt thanks to Governor Walker and the legislature.”
Sen. Glenn Grothman, a Republican, said he is glad Planned Parenthood is losing some of its taxpayer funding in Wisconsin, but he wants to see the de-funding effort move forward with eliminate all or most of the remaining $18 million Planned Parenthood receives annually.
“There’s a very ugly side to this organization, and I regret that they’re going to take such a tiny cut in this budget,” Grothman said.
Tanya Atkinson, the executive director of Planned Parenthood Wisconsin claimed the cut in taxpayer funding would result in “putting women’s lives at risk” even though hundreds of other federally-qualified health care centers — some funded with public dollars — exist that provide the same or better legitimate medical services apart from abortion that Planned Parenthood also provides. Planned Parenthood does not provide mammograms for women and refers out all of its mammogram testing to these other non-abortion centers.
Atkinson told the Huffington Post that Planned Parenthood is “looking at every option to keep the nine abortion-performing centers open as much as possible.
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