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NJ Planned Parenthood Shutters Clinic After Funding Cuts

By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist The failure of New Jersey's state legislature to override the decision by Gov. Chris Christie to cut off Planned Parenthood from taxpayer funds has already begun to pay off with the shuttering of one of its clinics. The Courier-Post is reporting that a Planned Parenthood facility in Cherry Hill was forced to close its doors this week due to the loss of $7.5 million in taxpayer funds that resulted when the legislature failed to override the governor's veto of a bill that would have restored its funding. With the closing of the Cherry Hill clinic, Planned Parenthood customers seeking abortions or other "services" will have to travel to other towns such as Camden, Bellmawr, and Edgewater Park. "We are in think mode and creative mode and we are doing all that we can to try and salvage to see as many people as we need to see," said Lynn Brown, president of Planned Parenthood of Southern New Jersey. "We all know it's strictly ideological," she said of the funding cuts. "This is a very frustrating and perplexing time for us." Joyce W. Kurzweil, executive vice president of the Planned Parenthood chapter, was quick to point out all the other "reproductive health services" provided by the clinics, such as Pap smears, vasectomies and prenatal care. "When our critics who do not believe in family planning talk, they look for the controversy," Kurzweil said. "They don't look at our other scope of services, where we spend 99 percent of our time. The sound bite is abortion." The loss of funds came about when Gov. Chris Christie decided not to renew funding of the nation's largest abortion provider. The legislature later voted to restore the funds, but the Governor vetoed it in July and state lawmakers were unable to muster enough support to override him. In the end, the vote to override was 23-17, well short of the two-thirds majority needed. Marie Tasy, the head of New Jersey Right to Life, told LifeNews.com she applauded the state Senate for not overriding Christie's veto of the Planned Parenthood funding bill. "We applaud the Senators who voted No to override Governor Christie’s veto of S2139," she said. "This debate was never about health care, it is about advancing a political agenda and rewarding 'friends' and a radical special interest group with our tax dollars." © All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace®  http://www.womenofgrace.com

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