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Orange County Acts to Halt Planned Parenthood Pact
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Abstract
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| The Orange County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to suspend a $291,788 health education contract with Planned Parenthood because the organization performs abortions. The group used the funding to provide thousands of teens and pre-teens a curriculum that includes information about anatomy, physiology, contraception, abstinence, and STDs.
Sup. John Moorlach brought up the contract last month, saying he was surprised the county funded Planned Parenthood. The contract was approved last year through a $7.5 million agreement with the Orange County Coalition of Community Clinics, funded through tobacco settlement revenue. However, Moorlach said staff had not fully disclosed the 18 clinics that would receive the funds before supervisors voted on the contract.
“When Orange County funds something, it’s like putting the Good Housekeeping seal of approval on that organization,” said Sup. Bill Campbell. “Funding an organization that provides abortions is not something I’d like to do.”
State data show that the Orange County cities of Santa Ana and Anaheim have some of the highest pregnancy rates in California, Stephanie Kight of Planned Parenthood told supervisors. “If you eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood, this will surely result in more unintentional pregnancies and more abortions in Orange County.”
“It’s clear to me that the agenda of Supervisor Moorlach, and the 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,” testified John Dunn, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino counties. “None of the money is used to fund abortions.”
Contractually, the county must notify Planned Parenthood 30 days in advance of terminating the contract. The board requested that county counsel report back about possible legal ramifications in two weeks.
The county funds many other entities, such as hospitals, that provide abortions, noted Pat Bates, the board’s chair. “We need to be very, very comfortable that we’re not exercising some abuse of discretion. We need some overall policy. It can’t be arbitrary, and it must reflect equity across the board.”
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Subjects
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Adolescents
Funding Issues
Health Education Programs
Local Government Agencies
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Disclaimer: NPIN provides this information as a public service only. The views and information provided about the materials, news, funding opportunities, organizations, and conferences do not necessarily state or reflect those of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, or NPIN.
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cdcnpin.org News Record #52746
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