Forgot your password?
New user?
Document Actions
Kansas Liberty: 24 March 2009
Crisis pregnancy program funded at the same level as the House version
Pregnancy Management Initiative gains Senate support
The Kansas Senate voted Tuesday to fund the Stan Clark Pregnancy Maintenance Initiative.
The initiative is one of the programs earlier targeted for elimination as the state struggles to balance its budget.
The program was seen by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as less important than other taxpayer-supported goals, such as supporting Planned Parenthood, a regional abortion provider.
The funding level in the Senate's version matches the funding level in the budget bill passed by the House: $355,000.
The Pregnancy Maintenance Initiative provides women facing crisis pregnancies with a wide array of support services, including counseling on alternatives to abortion.
Sen. Mark Taddiken, R-Clifton, offered the successful amendment on the Senate floor Tuesday afternoon. Sen. Carolyn McGinn, R-Sedgwick, who promoted efforts at the committee level to fund the program, also spoke in support of the amendment.
In a statement, the Kansas Catholic Conference thanked "Catholics across the state who called their senators today on behalf of this important program that helps pregnant women in need choose life."
City in Kansas pushes law believed to violate religious liberties
Brownback initiative cheers left-wing groups