Federal law prohibits the use of federal funds to pay for abortions except in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the pregnant woman
Lawrence Wilson
The Center Square Washington
Gov. Jay Inslee’s proposed budget for the upcoming biennium includes $15 million in taxpayer money to be spent on providing abortion services and training for abortion providers.
Inslee’s proposed budget for 2023-2035, released Wednesday, will be submitted to the Legislature but is not binding on lawmakers.
The proposal calls for $70.4 billion in government spending. Of that amount, nearly $1.2 billion is allocated for the Department of Health.
Included in the DOH distribution is “$7,407,000 of the general fund — state appropriation for fiscal year 2024 and $7,603,000 of the general fund — state appropriation for fiscal year 2025 is provided solely to provide reimbursement for abortion services to providers of abortion care, to provide funding for travel costs for abortion care, including but not limited to childcare and meals, and to provide grants to public four year higher education institutions that offer advanced degree programs in nursing, medicine, and pharmacy to develop and offer abortion care training.”
Although more than half the state’s proposed DOH budget, 50.74%, is provided by federal appropriations, the provision for abortion services and training would be paid directly by Washington taxpayers, if the proposal were to pass the Legislature.
Federal law prohibits the use of federal funds to pay for abortions except in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the pregnant woman.
The governor characterized the budget as prioritizing housing, homelessness and behavioral health in Wednesday’s statement accompanying its release.
State Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, ranking member of the Washington Senate’s Ways and Means Committee, criticized the proposed budget as ineffective and focused on the wrong priorities, though she did not mention the abortion provision.
“The governor’s support for behavioral health is appropriate, at least on the surface, but that will do nothing in the short term to deal with the record number of murders and fatal drug overdoses in our state, or help hire law-enforcement officers to fight crime in our communities,” Wilson said in a statement.
State Senate Ways and Means Chair Sen. Christine Rolfes, D-Bainbridge Island, did not reply to a request for comment.
This report was first published by The Center Square Washington.
Also read:
- Records reveal WA millionaire’s tax is meant to legalize progressive income tax
Nearly 1,000 pages of records reveal coordinated effort between attorney general’s office and Democratic leaders to overturn constitutional ban. - Drivers may experience traffic delays and closures during summer road preservation work in Clark County
Multiple preservation methods including slurry seal, chip seal and hot mix asphalt will impact county roadways. - Vancouver Police investigate collision involving a pedestrian
Driver remained cooperative while traffic unit investigates serious injury collision at Mill Plain and Lincoln. - Friends and family invited to pair of Friday services for Lucille Erma Madore and Francis Eugene Madore
Francis Eugene Madore flew 103 combat missions in WWII and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross with 17 Oak Leaf Clusters. - Opinion: Tax day is painful enough without Washington adding its own
Washington’s new 9.9% income tax mirrors federal pattern: start narrow, expand to hit everyone within years. - Letter: ‘Public trust in elections isn’t maintained by repeating talking points’
Camas resident demands answers after ballots discovered next to trash can, endorses Quiring O’Brien for auditor. - Lincoln Day Gala: Independent journalist Jonathan Choe wants more storytellers
Investigative journalist Jonathan Choe challenged Clark County Republicans to become citizen reporters at Saturday’s fundraiser.
wpDiscuz
