Last week, the Ohio Legislature approved and Governor Mike DeWine signed the state operating budget which includes a record $7.5 million to care for abortion-vulnerable women and their children through the Ohio Parenting and Pregnancy Program! The program provides funds for life-affirming organizations like pregnancy resource centers to provide prenatal care and meet other material needs for low-income pregnant women. 

The budget also clears the way for the innovative Safe Families Program to continue to operate in Ohio, allowing parents to retain custody of their children while placing them in the temporary care of host families. Lastly, funds were increased for home visitation innovation grants through the Help Me Grow program, aimed at increasing in-home visits and wellness checks for at-risk pregnant women and newborns. We applaud the strong leadership of Ohio Legislators as they sent a clear message: Ohio prioritizes the needs of women and children. We are thankful for the leadership of Governor DeWine, Senate President Larry Obhof, and Speaker Larry Householder.

Planned Parenthood Forfeits Title X Funding in Favor of Abortion, Fires President 

After a federal judge upheld President Trump’s new “Protect Life Rule” allowing it to go into effect, taxpayer funds will no longer fund clinics that refer for abortions, including Planned Parenthood. Forced to choose between Title X funding and abortion, Planned Parenthood overwhelmingly choose to forfeit the federal family planning funds – $60 million annually – in order to keep selling abortions. 

Continuing their downward trend, Planned Parenthood then suddenly fired their former president, Leana Wen, last Tuesday. Wen, a medical doctor, wanted to focus on healthcare rather than politics, a move which put her at odds with the abortion extremism of Planned Parenthood’s board of directors. Wen had been president of the abortion giant for 8 months. Planned Parenthood continues to double down on abortion regardless of the real needs of women and babies. 

In case you missed it, you can catch a good summary here.