Ohio Notifies Planned Parenthood of Taxpayer Funding Termination

Ohio notified Planned Parenthood facilities throughout the state Thursday that their state taxpayer funding will end next month.

A letter from the Ohio Department of Health informed Planned Parenthood locations in the state that, effective April 20, they will no longer receive funding, reported Cleveland.com.

The notification arrived after a federal appeals court ruled on March 12 that the state may terminate the abortion vendor’s taxpayer funding.

In 2016, former Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) signed the bill into law that eliminated Planned Parenthood’s state funding. The law, which redirected $1.3 million from Planned Parenthood of Ohio to other health facilities that do not perform abortions, was blocked, however, when a district court judge ruled it unconstitutional.

Last week, Judge Jeffrey Sutton of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reversed that decision and upheld the law, writing that it does “not violate a woman’s right to obtain an abortion,” that the state “has no obligation to pay for a woman’s abortion,” and that the law does not impose “undue burden” on a woman’s access to an abortion.

“Private organizations do not have a constitutional right to obtain governmental funding to support their activities,” the judge continued. “The State also may choose not to subsidize constitutionally protected activities.”

Upon receipt of the state’s notice, Iris Harvey, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, tweeted that current Gov. Mike DeWine is “HEARTLESS”:

Gov DeWine is HEARTLESS. Just got a 30 day notice from Health Dept. Defunding Planned Parenthood work to reduce Black infant mortality, prevent violence against women, provide cancer screenings, HIV tests and sex education! All care health depts couldn’t do!

— IRIS E. Harvey (@CeoGreaterOhio) March 21, 2019

“Defunding Planned Parenthood work to reduce Black infant mortality, prevent violence against women, provide cancer screenings, HIV tests and sex education!” she posted. “All care health depts couldn’t do!”

As the Columbus Dispatch reported, the abortion provider asked the court to delay the law from taking effect as it prepares to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton, however, said Planned Parenthood would not suffer financially due to the end of state funding. The organization received about $600,000 in state funding in 2018.

“It will not be injured at all,” Acton said in a court filing. “Planned Parenthood claims that it will have to cut programs if it loses state funding. That claim is dubious. … Ohio’s taxpayers should not be on the hook for additional payments — payments to which Planned Parenthood is not entitled, and that Ohio will be unable to reclaim — simply because Planned Parenthood failed to plan ahead.”