New Jersey Planned Parenthood Abortion Biz Closes After Christie Cuts Funds

by Steven Ertelt

Trenton, NJ (LifeNews.com) -- After the New Jersey state Senate defeated an attempt to override the decision of Gov. Chris Christie to cut off state taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood abortion businesses, the first facility run by the national abortion giant is closing.

The Cherry Hill Courier Post newspaper says a Planned Parenthood facility located on Haddonfield Road and operated by Planned Parenthood of Southern New Jersey will close down.

PP-SNJ stands to lose as much as $160,000 in taxpayer funds because of Christie's decision and the upholding of his veto. With the closing of the Cherry Hill center, Planned Parenthood customers seeking abortions or other "services" must go to PP centers in Camden, Bellmawr, and Edgewater Park.

Parenthood of Southern New Jersey president Lynn Brown told the newspaper, "We are in think mode and creative mode and we are doing all that we can to try and salvage to see as many people as we need to see."

"We all know it's strictly ideological," Brown said of the funding cuts to the abortion business. "This is a very frustrating and perplexing time for us."

While the Cherry Hill center does not do abortions, it gives abortion referrals to Planned Parenthood offices in Hamilton Square, Princeton, and Trenton where abortions are done on women and unborn children.

Marie Tasy, the head of New Jersey Right to Life, told LifeNews.com she applauded the state Senate for not overriding Christie's veto of the Planned Parenthood funding bill.

"We applaud the Senators who voted No to override Governor Christie’s veto of S2139," she said. "This debate was never about health care, it is about advancing a political agenda and rewarding 'friends' and a radical special interest group with our tax dollars."

"We commend Governor Christie for his steadfast opposition to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse and for working to promote the best health care for all NJ citizens," Tasy added.

Christie won the praise of pro-life advocates in July by vetoing a bill that would restore the family planning funds his administration cut from the state budget because of deep economic troubles.

Although it doesn't fund abortions directly, the money goes to the Planned Parenthood abortion business. The funds go to 58 family planning clinics but Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion chain, runs 29 of the facilities.

After Christie cut the funding, the state legislature approved a bill to restore it and they approved the bill he vetoed on a 30-10 vote on the Senate, more than enough to override.

However, Republicans who supported the bill would not buck their party's governor by supporting the override vote.

Although a majority of the Senate voted to restore the abortion businesses' funding, the Senate voted on a party-line 23-17 vote, well short of the two-thirds needed to override.

http://www.lifenews.com/state5472.html