Defunding Planned Parenthood seems to be the hot trend among conservative lawmakers, as Florida and Ohio recently joined Texas in passing bat-shit laws that cut the organization off from Title X federal family-planning grants.
It’s irrelevant to them that the Hyde Amendment already prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions except in the cases of rape, incest, and protecting the life of the mother; no, these lawmakers want to divert all dollars away from Planned Parenthood, even if they would have been used to provide preventive health services to low-income people. (By the way, this action is most likely illegal and courts have blocked similar laws in other states.)
Well, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe is saving appeals courts some time: Yesterday he vetoed a bill that would have blocked the state’s Department of Health from providing non-Medicaid funds to any entity that performs abortions. And just for good measure, he did so at a Planned Parenthood health center in Richmond.
Sources
WTVRRepublicans likely don’t have enough votes to override his veto, according to the Washington Post. So, no, you shall not pass.
