The House of Delegates today passed a bill to defund women’s health care providers that perform abortions – including Planned Parenthood – even if the funds are not used for that purpose.
HB 2264, authored by Del. Ben Cline, R-Amherst, prohibits the Department of Health from spending any funds on an abortion that is not qualified for matching funds under the Medicaid program or providing any grants or other funds to any entity that performs such abortions.
The bill also prioritizes the types of entities that the Department of Health contracts with or provides grants to for family planning services.
“Women deserve access to safe, reliable health care,” said House Democratic Caucus Chair Charniele Herring. “We should not stand between a woman and her doctor, and we should not cause harm to vulnerable women for the sake of achieving a mean-spirited political victory. This bill will hurt thousands of Virginians, especially low-income women and women of color.”
Between 2010 and 2012, the pregnancy-related death rate in Texas nearly doubled – the same period during which the state drastically cut women’s health funding, including to Planned Parenthood.
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