Planned Parenthood suffers defeats in Ohio and Wisconsin

Planned Parenthood is on the decline in the Midwest. A concentrated effort by Republican lawmakers backed by public support, and prayer, is working to save lives and protect women's health. Recent developments in Ohio and Wisconsin are a sign of this positive trend.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Last week, Republican lawmakers in both states took substantial steps to protect unborn children by supporting legislation that prevents Planned Parenthood from freely conducting some abortions. 

In Ohio, Planned Parenthood stands to lose substantial government funding as Representatives Ron Amstut (R-Wooster) and Kristina Roegner (R-Hudson), attached an amendment to the state budget bill that places Planned Parenthood funding at the bottom of the state's priorities list, which functionally means the organization will get very little, if any money from the state. 

"Ohio's abortion industry will no longer feed at the taxpayer trough. Instead, these dedicated health care funds will be offered to those entities where a vast majority of low-income women and their children seek responsible and life-saving services," said Mike Gonidakis, President of Ohio Right to Life. 

Meanwhile in Wisconsin, a new law that took effect on Friday has reined in Planned Parenthood. The law bans the use of chemical abortions normally administered orally. The new law also requires physicians to determine if a woman is being coerced by someone else (such as an unhappy father) to obtain the abortion, thus adding another layer of protection for both the woman and the baby.

The law also prohibits abortion counseling via webcam, which is both impersonal and flippant, and thankfully already rare. With the new law, women will have person-to-person counseling and (hopefully) be given access to alternatives that do not require the murder of a child or jeopardizing the mother's health.  

Lawmakers targeted chemical abortions because they comprise 26 percent of abortions in the state, according to Wisconsin Right to Life. 

Naturally, abortion activists are crying foul over the loss of funding and saying that the Ohio law will cut off funding for cancer screenings and HIV/AIDS initiatives. However, government funds for these important screenings and initiatives can be easily shifted to agencies that respect life and will use the money to save people, not kill them. 

There is no requirement that Planned Parenthood receive taxpayer dollars.  It is good to see political recognition of this important fact, even if only in a single state. 

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