N.J. Governor Chris Christie Proposes Complete Elimination of Funding for Family Planning in the FY 2011 N.J. State Budget
MEDIA ADVISORY, March 17 /Christian Newswire/ -- Since the 1970's, NJ family planning agencies run by Planned Parenthood, have been receiving millions of taxpayer dollars from the state budget. The amount of funding these groups received had nearly doubled since 2002. During this same period, the state of New Jersey was assigned the notable distinction of being named one of the top three states in the nation with the highest teen abortion rates. The Alan Guttmacher Institute's most recent statistics from 2005, released in early February, demonstrate that NJ has once again failed its young women. These statistics illustrate that New Jersey has the second highest rate of teen abortions in the nation. The previous Guttmacher statistics from 2001 reported that NJ had the highest rate of black teen abortions in the nation, but race and ethnicity for NJ were conspicuously omitted from the 2005 statistics. It is most likely that these statistics were just as high in 2005. We know that NJ can do better. In all their literature, family planning agencies actually claim that their clinics reduce the number of abortions performed, but these statistics show they have failed miserably.
Yesterday, NJ's newly elected Governor Chris Christie delivered his budget address and submitted a proposed budget. In his proposal, he took the necessary and decisive steps to try to address an $11B deficit and reduce state spending and reform state government. One of the programs he proposed eliminating was funding for family planning in the FY '11 state budget.
Last year, former Governor Jon Corzine allocated $7.6M in the state budget for family planning agencies. These agencies proudly advertise they perform "confidential" services for minors which include promoting abortion and referring for abortion without parental notification or consent. Planned Parenthood of Central New Jersey, which performs abortions and was the lead plaintiff in the 1999 parental notification case, has been one of the long- time recipients of this money.
NJRTL has repeatedly urged defunding of Planned Parenthood. On February 2, 2010, NJRTL testified at a bipartisan legislative committee hearing to tell legislative leaders that it was time to end the absurdity of funding an industry that has failed miserably and has a financial self interest in keeping the status quo. We thank Governor Christie for wisely proposing the elimination of funding family planning as part of a solution to reduce state spending and reform government. We urge him to stand firm and line item veto any funding for family planning from the budget when it reaches his desk if Democrat leaders try to restore it back into the budget.
