Ohio free to defund abortion providers after court of appeal ruling

An Ohio Court of Appeal has ruled that the state is permitted to strip abortion businesses such as Planned Parenthood of almost $1.5 million of funding per year.

Last year, a lower court said that withholding state funds would be penalising organisations for performing a “protected activity”.

But this week, Appeal Judge Jeffrey Sutton said that these subsidised groups “do not have a due process right to perform abortions”, meaning Ohio can defund 28 Planned Parenthood facilities.

‘A major victory’

Marjorie Dannenfelser, President of pro-life group ‘Susan B. Anthony List’, said: “This ruling is a major victory for pro-life Ohioans and all Americans fighting to keep their own tax dollars from being used to prop up the abortion industry.

“The American people have repeatedly expressed their opposition to taxpayer funding of abortion businesses like Planned Parenthood, which destroys more than 332,000 innocent unborn children a year”.

Governor Mike DeWine similarly encouraged the defunding of abortion providers in court last year and wants to ban abortion in Ohio where a heartbeat can be detected.

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