The Georgia House on Friday passed a bill (HB 308) that would create a funding program for antiabortion-rights crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs), AP/WSAV 3 reports (Campbell, AP/WSAV 3, 3/12).
The vote was 103-52 (House Vote #737, accessed 3/14).
The bill now returns to the state Senate for agreement (AP/WSAV 3, 3/12). If the bill is approved, it will proceed to Gov. Nathan Deal (R) (Gerson Uffalussy, The Guardian, 3/12).
Background
Georgia Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle (R) called for the state to defund Planned Parenthood after the release of misleading videos targeting the organization's fetal tissue donation program, but the effort was unsuccessful. Following that failed effort, lawmakers in the state who oppose abortion rights shifted their focus to funding CPCs (Women's Health Policy Report, 3/10).
According to the Guttmacher Institute, 96 percent of Georgia counties in 2011 did not have an abortion clinic, and those counties were home to nearly 60 percent of Georgia women of reproductive age. Overall, there are more than 4,000 CPCs in the United States, The Guardian reports. CPCs receive direct state funding in at least 12 states (The Guardian, 3/12).
Bill details
The bill, proposed by state Sen. Renee Unterman (R), would establish a fund that the state Department of Public Health (DPH) would allocate to CPCs throughout Georgia. According to Unterman, there are about 70 CPCs in the state.
Under the measure, DPH would be required to ensure that none of the funds are distributed to organizations that provide abortion counseling in instances other than life endangerment. The measure would prohibit the use of funding for abortion care and prohibit referrals to abortion providers.
To be eligible for funding, CPCs would have to register as not-for-profits and agree to undergo annual state audits. Further, the bill would require the state to monitor how many women seek abortion care after visiting a CPC.
Proponents of the measure hope to receive $2 million in funding for the program under the state budget currently being considered by the state Legislature. The program would also be allowed to accept private donations (Women's Health Policy Report, 3/10).
Comments
Serina Floyd, an ob-gyn and fellow of Physicians for Reproductive Health, expressed concern that CPC staff might choose not to inform a woman about maternal or fetal health concerns. Further, CPC staff might lack training to diagnose such conditions, Floyd noted. She said, "They're compromising patients' health by furthering a pregnancy and endangering [the woman]."
Floyd stated, "The main crux of the problem is that CPCs project themselves to be comprehensive women's healthcare centers, and [of] course they're not." She explained, "Women calling wanting to know their options and researching abortion need to have unbiased and medically accurate information. When this is not provided, it puts them in a very dangerous situation. And when it comes to [CPCs], not giving women the information they need can cause delays in receiving care -- and for something like abortion care, that's a huge concern."
Separately, Elizabeth Nash of the Guttmacher Institute noted that CPC funding laws typically do not impose any "requirement[s] to ensure that the information women receive from the [CPCs] is medically accurate." She said, "It is documented that there are [CPCs] that provide inaccurate or misleading information to women, and it would be helpful to ensure that the information women receive -- especially when provided by public funds -- is medically accurate and appropriate."
Regarding SB 308, Staci Fox, the CEO of Planned Parenthood Southeast, said, "We're going to give $2m out to organizations not even licensed by the state of Georgia to provide medical care in any way?" She added, "If this is really about providing access to women, shouldn't we be concerned about who it is that is giving that access?"
Noting that the measure "prohibits counseling on abortion," Fox stated, "[A]bortion is legal in the US -- and our job is to make (abortion) safe and legal and not restrict women from accessing a critical part of healthcare. This isn't about helping organizations provide healthcare for women. This is about restricting [abortion care]."
State Rep. Stacy Evans (D), who opposed the bill said lawmakers should instead "invest $2m in sex ed" (The Guardian, 3/12).
