A new study by the Family Research Council gives Missouri and Kansas credit for attempting to defund the abortion industry but also points out where work remains to be done.
Missouri has defunded abortions and attempted to defund abortion providers in Medicaid and state appropriations, the report said. To score higher, Missouri needs to permanently defund providers in Title X and create a Section 1115 Medicaid waiver program.
Kansas has defunded abortions in Medicaid and state appropriations and abortion providers in Title X and temporarily in Medicaid. To score higher, Kansas needs to permanently defund abortion providers in Medicaid and state appropriations and create a Section 1115 Medicaid waiver program.
Twenty-three states have defunded (or attempted to defund) abortions that use taxpayer dollars. Among other Family Research Council findings:
- Texas is the only state to have defunded (or attempted to defund) abortions and abortion providers in Medicaid, Title X and state appropriations, and to have been granted a Section 1115 waiver from the Trump Administration to divert federal Medicaid funds away from abortion providers.
- Six additional states have laws that defund abortion providers in the three principle funding streams: Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana and Mississippi.
- Sixteen states have only partial defunding laws (not addressing all three principle funding streams) and/or temporary defunding policies (executive orders, state budgets, etc.): Alabama, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin.
- Another 14 states have not taken any action to defund abortion providers: Alaska, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming. (States that merely enacted a “state Hyde Amendment,” duplicating federal protections in Medicaid, are not credited on this map with having taken a significant step in defunding abortion providers).
- Thirteen states have taken steps to directly fund abortions and abortion providers with taxpayer dollars: California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine and Maryland.
“For too long, Planned Parenthood — America’s largest abortion company — has taken millions of dollars every year in taxpayer money,” said Quena González, the council’s director of state and local affairs. “Most of that money flows through the states, giving governors and state legislators tremendous opportunities to defund the abortion industry.”
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice