Reproductive health group in US faces similar budget cut to PHL

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback has ordered state officials to cut off funding for Planned Parenthood and its affiliates through the state Medicaid program, a move the organization said on Wednesday it would challenge in court.

Planned Parenthood is a US-based non-profit organization that offers a variety of reproductive health services, including birth control and long-acting reversible contraception, breast and cervical cancer screening, pregnancy testing and pregnancy options counseling (including abortion), testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, sex education, and vasectomies.

The organization has faced overwhelming denunciation from pro-life groups, especially for providing the option of abortion to women dealing with unwanted pregnancies. 

Brownback, a Republican, said in his state of the state address on Tuesday that he would direct the state health secretary to ensure that no taxpayer money go to Planned Parenthood, which he said trafficked in baby body parts.

"No longer will we send the money of hard-working Kansans to fund an industry that disrespects life and violates the moral conscience of our people," Brownback said in a statement.

The governor's statement was an apparent reference to videos secretly recorded by an anti-abortion group that activists said showed that Planned Parenthood officials in some states had discussed the sale of aborted fetal tissue.

Planned Parenthood has denied any illegal payments, calling the videos distortions of the issue of fetal-tissue donations. The organization has said it has received only reimbursements for its costs, which are legal under U.S. law.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said it would issue a termination letter to Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri.

Laura McQuade, president and chief executive of the Kansas and Mid-Missouri Planned Parenthood, said the planned termination would result in a legal battle.

"Kansans and their health care providers are not Mr. Brownback's punching bag and we will fight back," McQuade said.

Federal funds cannot be used for abortions, but Planned Parenthood also provides Medicaid covered services such as contraception, cancer screening and other care.

In the Philippines, the Senate recently removed P1 billion from the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law (RPRH Law) budget, allocated for procurement and distribution of contraceptives.

Before being passed as a law, the RH Bill also faced objections from pro-life groups who believed that its provisions include the legalization of abortion. The proponents and supporters of the bill clarified that abortifacients are different from contraceptives and that the bill only promotes the latter. 

Several states have sought to cut off funding for Planned Parenthood following the release of the videos. Courts have blocked some of those attempts at least temporarily in Utah, Louisiana, Alabama and other states. — REUTERS/AT, GMA News