Deanna Martin of the Associated Press is reporting that Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels signed a measure Tuesday imposing some of the nation's tightest restrictions on abortions and making Indiana the first state to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood of Indiana immediately went to court in an effort to stop the law. U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt is expected to rule Wednesday on the request.
Daniels, a Republican known as a fiscal hawk, is considering a run for president in 2012. Adding his signature to the abortion bill will likely help his image among social conservatives who were upset over Daniels' previous calls for a Republican "truce" on social issues.
Daniels didn't advocate publicly for the bill, and it wasn't part of his legislative agenda. But he said he supported the abortion restrictions from the outset and that the provision added to defund abortion providers did not change his mind. He signed the bill into law Tuesday, along with 79 other bills.
The law cuts off about $3 million in public funds used to pay for services such as birth control, cancer screening and tests for sexually transmitted diseases. Planned Parenthood says the measure is unconstitutional and violates federal law. It says 22,000 patients could be left without access to Pap tests and other nonabortion services.
Daniels used an interesting strategy to pass this measure: duplicity. Say one thing — call for a "truce" on social issues — and do something different: Cut off funding for Planned Parenthood. He excluded the measure from his legislative agenda so folks wouldn't be looking for a major hit like this. Some will call it strategic. We'll call it strategic and shady.
This is yet another example of double-talk and what happens when people aren't paying attention and are unprepared for someone like Daniels, with presidential aspirations, who is willing to do what it takes to get there. If history repeats itself, this historic event will have a historically proven outcome: Scores of women will die in the process because of lack of information and non-abortion-related services. Is this what we call moving the country forward?
Read more at Yahoo News.
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