The Ohio House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill to cut $1.3 million in funding for Planned Parenthood in the state, and Gov. John Kasich as said he will sign it,
The Washington Post reports.
The bill passed the Senate in January. It prohibits the Ohio Department of Health from giving state or federal grants to any organization that performs or promotes abortion.
The bill passed 59-32 on a near party-line vote,
The Toledo Blade reports.
Several states have tried to defund Planned Parenthood after a series of undercover videos were released starting last summer that purported to show Planned Parenthood officials agreeing to sell tissue from aborted fetuses for profit to researchers.
But most of those efforts have failed when challenged in court because the states tried to end Medicaid funding, the Post noted. The Ohio bill targets state and federal programs aimed at HIV/AIDS, domestic violence, infant mortality and more, which is a significant portion of Planned Parenthood's funding.
A spokesman for Kasich said he plans to sign the bill.
"Since taking office, Governor Kasich has worked with legislative leaders to ensure that public dollars are used to their best purpose," spokesman Joe Andrews said. "The Ohio Department of Health had already stopped awarding state dollars to Planned Parenthood and they were kicked to the back of the line for the federal government’s family planning grants that the department administers. This bill further reinforces Ohio’s policies."
Kasich, who is running for the GOP presidential nomination, could be set back from his unexpected second-place finish in New Hampshire this week since he portrays himself as a centrist, the Post notes.
However, the move could boost Kasich amid more conservative voters in the South where the primary process heads next and where he was not expected to perform as well.