07/02/11 OneNewNow.com – Texas has passed a bill defunding Planned Parenthood, making it the seventh state to do so. The bill sends $47 million in tax funds to other organizations that provide medical services to poor women.
Jonathan Saenz of Liberty Institute calls Monday’s vote in Austin a “defining moment” in Texas for the pro-life movement.
“This legislation particularly takes away funding from groups that provide abortions and are affiliates for abortions, and it also prioritizes family-planning money in a way that it goes to organizations that provide comprehensive healthcare for women in the state of Texas, which Planned Parenthood does not do,” the Institute representative says.
Planned Parenthood has sued Indiana and Kansas for passage of defunding bills in those states. Saenz says the Texas measure (S.B. 7) should withstand legal scrutiny.
“Well, it’s unfortunate that there are frivolous lawsuits out there [but] the state of Texas has done a very good job with folks in our organization and others to make sure that we have language in place that will stand up to any challenge,” the attorney explains. “And so, if Planned Parenthood and other abortion groups want to come to the state of Texas and file a frivolous lawsuit on this issue, that’s up to them — but Texas is up for the fight.”
In passing the law, Saenz suggests elected officials are simply responding to the desire of constituents who refuse to allow their tax dollars to be used for abortion and would prefer that money be spent more responsibly.
