Ohio House Committee Votes To Defund Planned Parenthood

[Bill USA]

Election won (notwithstanding hundreds of millions of psycho billionaire dollars) but the fight against ignorance goes on....

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/11/14/1189291/ohio-votes-to-defund-planned-parenthood/

After a lengthy and heated hearing, an Ohio bill meant to defund Planned Parenthood cleared a House committee on Wednesday by an 11-9 vote along party lines. House Bill 298, ostensibly about re-prioritizing federal family planning money, seeks to strip $1.7 million from Planned Parenthood clinics in the state. According to Planned Parenthood Ohio CEO Stephanie Knight, nearly 100,000 Ohio women depend on the organization for health care — overwhelmingly for preventative care including cancer screenings and birth control.

Every single medical professional present testified against the bill. Dr. Grant Morrow of Nationwide Children’s Hospital decried HB 298 as the result of a “political agenda” that would have a devastating impact, primarily on poor and young women. Planned Parenthood is frequently a punching bag for many conservative politicians, despite the fact that abortions comprise only 3 percent of services provided by the women’s health organization. And as Dr. Kimberley Shepherd, a Columbus-based OB-GYN, testified during the hearing, defunding Planned Parenthood in Ohio would jeopardize cancer prevention screenings, STI care, hypertension testing, and many of the preventative measures the organization provides to low-income women.

Religious groups also sent multiple representatives to testify against HB 298. Former state representative Marian Harris of the National Council of Jewish Women argued that no one religious viewpoint should receive preferential treatment under the law, and pointed out that the legislation would gut funding for family planning clinics. Religious leaders also testified in support of Planned Parenthood, including a rabbi, a Lutheran minister, and a United Methodist minister.

And a rape survivor named Emily Shaw gave an emotional testimony about how she relied on Planned Parenthood services after she was raped at 13.
(more)

[NEOBuckeye]

1. Bunch of knucle-dragging women haters

Seems like business as usual for the Ohio Republican Party. What they didn't learn in 2012 on the federal level, they are going to learn in 2014 at the state level. Change or go the way of the dinosaurs.

[Dubster]

2. Spam deleted by gkhouston (MIR Team)

[marmar]

3. The GOP's answer to the anti-woman foolishness that led to their election day demise?

More anti-woman foolishness.

[ladym55]

4. The hearing room was packed with people opposing the bill

They had two overflow rooms, and the hallways were packed. The governor and legislature have been flooded with emails protesting this moron of a bill. However, since the Republican leadership continues to be thoroughly sensitive and responsive to the people of Ohio, the committee sent the bill to the floor for a vote.

State Senator Nina Turner put it best:

GOP = Get Out of my Panties

She also says regularly that the Republicans have "lost their ever-lovin' minds." She has a point.

[Mc Mike]

5. The electorate rebuffs the repugs,

so the repugs get right back to doing exactly what they want to do. Freakshow treasonous nazis.

[santamargarita]

6. They'll never learn; they'll never change -just the...

same old worn out bullshit.