The residents led by Greg Rice of South Charleston spoke during a commission meeting that at times grew contentious. It was the second time Rice and other anti-abortion residents asked Clark County commissioners to defund the organization since they approved a $138,000 local contract for Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio in a 2-1 vote in July.
“Planned Parenthood is not necessary. It’s not a necessary organization in Clark County because of Obamacare and the Pregnancy Resource Center and other agencies for women’s health needs in Clark County … Tax dollars don’t need to go to them,” Rice said.
Commissioners John Detrick, a Republican, and David Herier, a Democrat, voted in favor of the contract. Commissioner Rick Lohnes, a Republican, was the lone dissenting vote.
Danielle Craig, director of communications for Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region, said the group is the most trusted women’s reproductive health care provider in this country.
“We have the highest professional standards and our team works tirelessly to ensure that women and families are always able to access affordable, high-quality health care in a safe and caring environment,” she said in a statement. “That’s what we’re focused on today — and every day.”
When told the Planned Parenthood provides education and other resources to prevent unplanned pregnancies, Rice said the Nazi’s, a German political party led by Adolf Hitler had soup kitchens, bread lines, circuses and sponsored the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. He added that he read that ISIS, an Islamic extremist group, has summer camps for boys.
“They did some good things. But they’re a wicked, evil organization. The Nazi party was terrible even though they did some nice things,” Rice said.
Planned Parenthood receives funding from Clark County because it’s the experts in reproductive and sexual health, Craig said.
“We’re pleased that the Commissioners in Clark County continue to recognize the importance of funding education programs that teach young people about healthy relationships, how to prevent unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases,” she said.
Rice’s comments come just as Gov. John Kasich is set to sign a bill that would cut the non-profit organization from more than $1.3 million in state funding. It is unknown how that bill would impact funding locally.
Commissioners also provide $32,000 to the Pregnancy Resource Clinic of Clark County and $143,000 to the Family and Youth Initiatives. The groups provide resource’s to unwed parents to assist in raising healthy children and resources to parents to help with pregnancy and raising a child, respectively.
Detrick defended his decision to fund Planned Parenthood, saying the organization is needed because Clark County ranks high for teen pregnancy and has a high number of single parent households.
He added that the county should double funding for all three organization.
“We have to have a fire fighting department to fight these fires with every possible weapon we have,” Detrick said. “… The forest fire is out there and it’s not going to go away … The social era has changed considerably. It’s shocking what’s going on out there. We need to educate these young people.”
Rice and others came to a meeting in January in response to controversial undercover videos released this summer by anti-abortion advocates who alleged a Houston clinic sold the organs of aborted fetuses. The videos are political attacks and false, Craig said.
A grand jury recently cleared the clinic, and indicted the undercover videographers behind the allegations.
But Rice and several others on Wednesday again cited findings from an investigation by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine’s office that found that clinics in Columbus and Cincinnati had fetal remains transported by a third party to a landfill.
They also shared personal stories about the negative impact of abortions and asked officials to fund other groups such as local adoption agencies.
Lohnes previously had commissioners delay the vote on the Planned Parenthood contract until it was confirmed that county funds wouldn’t be used to fund abortions.
After the contract was approved, Lohnes also asked commissioners to cancel the contract until after allegations against the agency had concluded, but Detrick and Herier refused.
Herier and Detrick cited concerns about the validity of the anti-abortion group’s report and said local funding is only for education and teen pregnancy prevention efforts, not abortion.
Lohnes told the group county staff has been assured that Clark County funds won’t pay for abortions.
“We have to the best of our ability confirmed that the kind of stuff you’re talking about has not occurred through the agency that we fund,” Lohnes said.
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