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The Orange County, Calif., Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Tuesday to suspend a contract with Planned Parenthood that provides funding for health education for thousands of teens and pre-teens, the Los Angeles Times reports. The $291,788 education grant was approved last year as part of a $7.5 million agreement with the Orange County Coalition of Community Clinics and funded through tobacco settlement revenue. The education curriculum includes information on anatomy and physiology, types of contraception, abstinence, and sexually transmitted infections. None of the county funding is used to provide abortion services, according to Jon Dunn, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Orange and San Bernardino Counties.
Supervisor John Moorlach, who brought the item to the board's agenda, said, "I personally have a problem with government funding of an organization that provides abortion services," adding that board members were not informed of the details on the 18 clinics that would be receiving money before they voted on the contract. Moorlach brought up the issue in a previous meeting, saying that he was surprised Planned Parenthood was receiving funding. The board's decision to suspend the contract came after an "impassioned" discussion between the board and members of the public, the Times reports.
Dunn said, "It's clear to me that the agenda of Supervisor Moorlach, and the other supervisors' willingness to go along with him, are driven more by a religious ideology than an articulate health policy that benefits the people of Orange County." Dunn added, "If you eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood, this will surely result in more unintentional pregnancies and more abortions in Orange County." Stephanie Kight of Planned Parenthood said that pregnancy rates in Santa Ana and Anaheim are the highest in the state. According to the Times, many supervisors discussed their religious and moral values during the debate about the contract (Abdollah, Los Angeles Times, 3/11). Supervisor Chris Norby said before the vote, "I don't believe the county should be funding abortion, and I don't believe the county really should be involved in funding an organization" that performs abortions (AP/San Jose Mercury News, 3/11).
The suspended education contract contained an agreement that both parties must give 30 days' notice before terminating the contract. The board requested the county counsel look into the legality of its vote and report back in two weeks. Board Chair Pat Bates warned board supervisors that the decision could be an "abuse of discretion," and noted that county-funded hospitals also perform abortions. She said, "[O]ur job is clearly focused on what money here's spent on, and we can craft that, but we can't take a blanket role on these issues, or go line by line," adding, "We need some overall policy. It can't be arbitrary, and it must reflect equity across the board." The board also discussed a second Planned Parenthood contract that gives the organization $50,000 for collecting and entering child immunization data into the county's registry. That contract was allowed to continue (Los Angeles Times, 3/11).
Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
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