Missouri Governor Matt Blunt has signed a bill that places additional restrictions on abortion providers.
Gov. Matt Blunt signed legislation Friday placing more abortion clinics under government oversight by classifying them as ambulatory surgical centers. Planned Parenthood claims the law could force it to spend more than $1 million to remodel some of its buildings.
The new law, which will take effect Aug. 28, also bars people affiliated with abortion providers from teaching or supplying materials for sex education courses, and it allows schools to offer abstinence-only programs.
Missouri Right to Life, which backed the measure, claims groups like Planned Parenthood have a conflict of interest in supplying materials for sex education courses, because they could potentially make money off the female students.
A Planned Parenthood official denied any conflict and called that assertion “political propaganda.” The organization has several sex educators who visit public schools.
Ah, yes. I’m sure that the government is just concerned about the exploitation of female patients.
Let it be said that I’m not necessarily opposed to abortion clinics being classified as ambulatory surgical centers– from the definition I found, it seems that’s what abortion clinics are. The problem here is targeting abortion clinics specifically with largely inconsequential requirements, such as specific hall-widths. It is also requiring a non-profit organization to do these highly expensive and largely frivolous renovations out of their own pocket. Of course there will be no government assistance. That would be a “conflict of interest.”
Except that this bill also puts the Missouri Alternatives to Abortion Services Program into effect. This program provides government funding for highly deceptive Crisis Pregnancy Centers!
As for the regulation barring Planned Parenthood from schools because they could potentially “profit” from female students . . . Planned Parenthood is non-profit. So those two concepts are incompatible. The concern has nothing to do with profit and everything to do with keeping teenage girls away from low-cost sexual health care. Heaven forbid they have access to affordable contraceptives!
These regulations are a punishment. They’re punitive and designed to place hardship on organizations that provide a specific type of medical care, and only that type of medical care.
Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri is reportedly considering legal action.
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