Credit: wfaa.com

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts (R) has repeatedly tried to deny federal family planning funds to Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, and on Wednesday he signed a bill into law that does just that.

“This is what happens when states follow in the steps of the Trump-Pence administration — women suffer,” said Dawn Laguens, Executive Vice President, Planned Parenthood Federation of America in a statement.

Lawmakers passed a budget bill, 38 to 6, on Tuesday that blocks health clinics from participating in the Title X federal family planning program if they perform, counsel, or refer patients to abortion services. If signed, the law would be effective immediately on July 1st. According to the Lincoln Journal Star, Planned Parenthood would have to provide 30 days’ notice to its Title X patients to inform them that that it can no longer serve them — that’s 8,000 Nebraskans.

Ricketts’ first introduced the restrictive family-planning measure into the budget, but it was later amended to include referral exceptions for “emergency situations.” Clinics will also need […]

Read the Full Article