Columbus — Fake women’s health centers mislead, delay, and outright lie to people seeking information about pregnancy options. This is done with a goal of blocking people from accessing timely abortion care. To reward that harmful behavior, House Republicans have added a $6,000,000 budget allocation to the “Parenting and Pregnancy Program,” which funds so-called crisis pregnancy centers.
NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio Executive Director Kellie Copeland said: “Six million dollars for lies. That’s what the Ohio House Republicans want Ohio taxpayers to fund. A person’s decision about their own health care should be made between the individual and their doctor. The state should not be funding predatory organizations that draw people in through misleading advertisements, trick them by buying locations right next door to actual abortion clinics, and cause them to miss appointments that may take weeks to reschedule. These sinister tactics are all designed to prevent timely abortion access. This is not health care. Our state is in the middle of a global pandemic which has impacted the economics of families across the state. These dollars should be going to programs to ensure these families have food to eat and roofs over their heads, not lies and coercion. The general assembly needs to remove this allocation from the budget bill immediately, and put the money into programs that actually provide support and assistance to Ohioans who need it.”
Supported by anti-abortion extremist organizations, this budget line item draws funding from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families federal block grant designed to provide direct financial assistance to families in need.
Ohio Budget Comparison Document, Page 357: JFSCD7 TANF Block Grant, Section: 307.80
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