Will Mitch Daniels Break His "Truce"?

[n2doc]

— By Kate Sheppard| Wed Apr. 27, 2011 3:30 AM PDT

Election watchers looking for something to monitor this week might want to keep an eye on Indiana, where lawmakers are deciding the fate of a bill that would cut funding for Planned Parenthood in the state and dramatically limit abortion access. Mitch Daniels, the Hoosier state's governor and a potential GOP presidential contender, has called for a truce on social issues in favor of a focus on budget matters. How Daniels handles this truce-breaking legislation will be an important test of how seriously he takes his call for peace.

On Tuesday afternoon, Republicans in the Indiana House filed a motion to concur with the Senate's version of the bill, paving the way for a vote as early as Wednesday. Unlike the House measure, the Senate bill includes language that blocks Medicaid dollars from going to the state's 28 Planned Parenthood clinics, which currently receive $3 million in public funds for reproductive health programs. If the proposal becomes law, Indiana will be the first state in the country to use this tactic to target Planned Parenthood. The move comes amid Republican attempts to defund the organization at the federal level.

The measure has implications beyond one organization, however, because federal law generally prevents states from deciding which family planning services Medicaid patients can use. That means that Indiana could forfeit all $4 million it receives in federal family planning funding, Family and Social Services Administration Secretary Michael Gargano told the Associated Press. That would leave 22,000 low-income residents without access to family planning services according to Betty Cockrum, executive director of Planned Parenthood Indiana. The bill has been filed as an "emergency" measure, meaning its provisions go into effect immediately.

While the Planned Parenthood "cut" appears to save money, it could actually end up costing the state. Indiana's Family and Social Services Administration says that more than half the births in Indiana are paid for by Medicaid, and that percentage is almost certain to increase if thousands of women lose access to contraceptives.

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http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/04/will-mitch-daniels-break-his-truce

[snappyturtle]

1. I don't know what is holding the IN economy together and to now

hear about this! BUT, I suppose, this proposal, if passed, will greatly satisfy the right wing whackos...for a while. Do they ever look at what an action like this may cause in the long run?

Sunday, I had dinner with my BIL, an IN state senator. Funny, when I talked with him about last week's legislative action on toting guns to the workplace he never brought up what would be on the agenda for this week! MAYBE, they won't get it done. This is the last week of the legislative session. If they do get it passed, Daniels will sign it. Good way for him to exit the session and hope most haven't noticed the breaking of the truce.