Poor Indiana Women Might Lose Access to Planned Parenthood for Non-Abortion Services

The Indiana Senate on Tuesday passed HB 1210, a measure that places new restrictions on abortion and also ends public funding for Planned Parenthood of Indiana. The bill forbids the disbursement of taxpayer funds, including federal grants received by the state, to any organization that provides abortion services. The legislation's backers say this would include Medicaid payments for non-abortion services; the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency says federal rules may override the measure. "Taking away the $3 million in federal family planning and Medicaid funds that [PPI] receives means low-income women and men will have reduced access to birth control, STD testing and treatment, Pap tests, and breast exams," said Betty Cockrum, PPI's president. She reiterated that PPI spends no taxpayer funds on abortions, and she said that even with federal grants, its eight Indiana centers operate at a net loss of more than $90,000. The House, which had approved the abortion bill without the language defunding PPI, will now take up the amended measure.

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