TRENTON — Women legislators continued pummeling Gov. Chris Christie today for pulling the money supporting clinics that provide birth control and health screenings, by urging him to sign into law a bill restoring the $7.5 million fund. The 58 family planning clinics lost their share of the state grant starting today, the first day of the new fiscal year....
Loretta Weinberg, who chairs the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee meeting in the State House annex.
TRENTON — Women legislators continued pummeling Gov. Chris Christie today for pulling the money supporting clinics that provide birth control and health screenings, by urging him to sign into law a bill restoring the $7.5 million fund.
The 58 family planning clinics lost their share of the state grant starting today, the first day of the new fiscal year. And for every state dollar spent, the federal government provided $9 of aid.
The governor has said he needed to make this and other cuts to close a budget deficit. He suggested people can seek the same services at federally qualified health centers.
"More than 136,000 women and men accessed basic health care here," Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) told reporters at a Statehouse press conference packed with women wearing pink.
People should have the right to get birth control to plan the size of their families - a battle I thought we had won in the early part of the last century."
Without that money, Frances Palm, executive director of the Women's Health and Counseling Center in Somerville said she would have to consider laying off some of the dozen people who work at the clinic.
The budget cut also means the 2,700 uninsured people who used the center last year would have to travel to find low-cost care. There are no federal clinics in Somerset County, Palm said. "There's nothing else around us. The only other option is the hospital," Palm said.
"I can't believe we are in a position in which we have to defend women's health care. How did we get here?" said Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex).
The Senate passed the bill by a veto-proof majority Monday. The Assembly passed it but not with enough votes to fend off a veto. Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Union), a sponsor, said she would need to lobby the more moderate Republicans if an override was to occur.
Christie has 45 days to veto the bill. It becomes law after that if he takes no action.
"We urge Gov. Christie to enact this restoration so that we can continue to prevent New Jerseyans - especially women - from needlessly dying from disease that can be treated with proper screening," Stender said.
Previous Coverage:
• N.J. Senate restores $7.5M in budget for family planning clinics serving uninsured women
• N.J. Senate panel restores $7.5M in budget for women's health
• N.J. legislators push to restore family planning funds in budget
• N.J. Democrats set stage for battle with Gov. Christie about family planning funds in budget