
Kansas lawmakers have recently proposed a measure that, if approved, would allocate tens of millions of dollars towards anti-abortion counseling facilities in the state. The legislation, titled the “Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act,” would grant $1 million to these facilities which provide “pregnancy health services” according to NPR.
These facilities provide resources to pregnant women that are alternative to abortion, such as support for parenting, adoption services and help for those who decide to place a child for fostering. The legislation makes no mention of reproductive choice or abortion services, even though the aim of the measure is clear.
If passed, the legislation will allot approximately $2.5 million of state funds and $3.6 million from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and abstinence-education programs to the crisis pregnancy centers. A report from the Guttmacher Institute found that in 2016, about 20 percent of abortion-providing facilities in the United States were crisis pregnancy centers.
The controversial bill has been widely criticized not only by proponents of abortion rights but also by those who oppose abortion. The bill was written and proposed by two Kansas Republicans, State Reps. Stephanie Clayton and Lance Kinzer, who argued that their aim was to protect the lives of unborn children.
Critics of the bill believe the goal of the lawmakers is to effectively restrict abortion rights in the state by diverting funds away from qualified healthcare clinics and directly towards anti-abortion facilities. “This is a way of playing both sides of the issue — not just making abortion illegal but also trying to take away money from providing factual information and health care to pregnant people” reported NPR.
The bill currently awaits a decision from Kansas’ Republican Gov. Laura Kelly, who is yet to make a statement on the matter. [ad_1]
Conservative lawmakers in Kansas want to offer tens of millions of pounds to crisis being pregnant facilities. It is really an effort to rein in abortions just after voters shielded abortion rights.
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