Last week I asked the elected officials on the Assembly Appropriations Committee, “Why is the richest abortion provider in the world receiving a raise when 172 school districts in NJ are receiving massive cuts from their state aid? Why is it that we never have enough money to educate our children, but we always have enough money to end the lives of our children?”
Family Policy Alliance of New Jersey®, New Jersey Right to Life, and other prolife activists testified before the Assembly Appropriations Committee regarding their intention to reward Planned Parenthood, the wealthiest abortion provider in the world, with a near 100% raise in NJ taxpayer funding through Assembly bill NJ 5802. Currently, Planned Parenthood receives $10.5 million each year from your tax dollars under the misleading classification of “Family Planning Services”. AB 5802 will line Planned Parenthood’s pockets with an additional $9.5 million to make up for the federal funds they voluntarily forfeited by removing themselves from the federal Title X program.
According to Congress, abortion is not and can never be a part of true family planning. Family planning services “should help men, women, and adolescents make healthy and fully informed decisions about starting a family and determine the number and spacing of children.” Recent federal rules and regulations have been passed to guarantee Title X funds do not run afoul of Congress’ intent to “favor childbirths over abortions” in its administration of Title X Funds. As NJ A5802 states, Planned Parenthood lost federal funds because their core mission violates Title X law—Abortion on demand is not family planning.
Unfortunately, the money allocated to Planned Parenthood in the NJ state budget will now surge to $20 million per year to fund the destruction of human life in cities like Camden, East Orange, Elizabeth, Newark, Paterson and Trenton.
Sadly, the additional 9.5 million dollars of state money will not increase women’s health options, but the Title X federal funds will. There are 116 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) in NJ that offer a full range of women’s healthcare, which does not include abortion. The money that Planned Parenthood forfeited under Title X is now free to flow to these true comprehensive health care centers. This means there is greater access to these FQHC’s in NJ’s underserved urban areas than there are to Planned Parenthood clinics.
- Newark has 2 Planned Parenthood Clinics, but 19 Federally Qualified Health Centers.
- Camden has 1 Planned Parenthood Clinics, but 7 Federally Qualified Health Centers.
- Paterson has 1 Planned Parenthood Clinics, but 3 Federally Qualified Health Centers.
Tragically, AB 5802 passed through the Appropriations Committee and is now awaiting a floor vote in the Assembly.
Together, we must demand our state legislature respect the life of preborn children in Camden, East Orange, Elizabeth, Newark, Paterson, Trenton, and other urban centers.
On behalf of the innocent,
Shawn Hyland
Advocacy Director
Family Policy Alliance of New Jersey
Len Deo
Director of Alliances – Northeast Region, Family Policy Alliance
Founder and Past President, New Jersey Family Policy Council
