The North Carolina legislature voted Wednesday to override Gov. Bev Perdue’s (D) veto of the state budget, which includes provisions to strip Planned Parenthood of its federal funds.
The state Senate voted 31-19 to override the veto Wednesday afternoon, after the House passed a similar measure late Tuesday night in a vote of 73-46, according to the News and Observer.
The budget prevents any state or federal funds from going to Planned Parenthood facilities, which Planned Parenthood officials say amounts to about $400,000 in funds, and will go into effect on July 1st.
The provision was added to the budget by abortion opponents who don’t want any federal funds going to entities that perform abortions. As Planned Parenthood officials are quick to point out, federal law already bars any federal funds from being used to provide abortions. The federal dollars that go to Planned Parenthood are used to provide other health care services to women.
Indiana and Kansas have also passed similar laws stripping state Planned Parenthood facilities of their funds — though Indiana’s is being contested by the federal government, which argues that it illegally blocks Medicaid recipients from receiving health services from Planned Parenthood. North Carolina’s law doesn’t block the funds from going to Medicaid recipients.
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