New budget earmarks $7.5M of Ohio taxpayers' money for pregnancy centers

A big bump in funding for crisis pregnancy centers in Ohio’s new state budget is fueling a fight around the controversial facilities that supporters say help needy women while critics decry them as “fake health clinics” meant to steer women away from abortions.

The final budget sets aside $7.5 million over the next two years for the Ohio Parenting and Pregnancy Program, which funds several crisis pregnancy centers throughout the state. That’s up from $1 million in the last biennial budget, and an increase of $2.5 million over earlier versions of the Republican-controlled General Assembly’s budget bill.

The centers generally are religiously affiliated nonprofits that offer parenting classes, assistance with prenatal care and other services related to early parenting.

They also counsel women against abortions and, in some cases, conduct ultrasounds. Often, the centers have licensed medical professionals who are opposed to abortion serving as their medical directors.

Read more: https://www.ohio.com/news/20190726/new-budget-earmarks-75m-of-ohio-taxpayers-money-for-pregnancy-centers/1