CLEVELAND — The state of Ohio’s two-year $62 billion budget is much more than that to both sides of the abortion debate. When Gov. John Kasich signed the legislation June 30, he not only reduced the state income tax by $2.6 billion but also enacted a series of pro-life measures. As reported by The Columbus Dispatch, the budget:
4Eliminates $1.4 million in family planning funds for Planned Parenthood through a new priority system that places the abortion provider at the bottom of the list.
4Prohibits public hospitals from having transfer agreements for patients with abortion clinics.
4Mandates an abortion doctor perform an ultrasound and to inform a woman seeking an abortion if he finds a heartbeat for the unborn child.
4Provides funding for pregnancy help centers, which provide alternatives to abortion, as well as material support, for women considering abortion.
Pro-life advocates applauded inclusion of the pro-life measures in the budget bill.
The law could force many of Ohio’s 12 abortion clinics to shut down, according to the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws Pro-choice Ohio.
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