Oklahoma to end Planned Parenthood contracts

Related Photos

Discussion

October 4, 2012

Oklahoma to end Planned Parenthood contracts

By Sean Murphy Associated Press Thu Oct 04, 2012, 04:43 PM CDT

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma is withdrawing federal funding to three Planned Parenthood clinics in Tulsa that for 18 years has allowed them to provide food and nutritional counseling to low-income mothers — a decision that mirrors efforts in other conservative states to defund the group and one its director described Thursday as a “short-sighted political maneuver.”

The State Department of Health notified Planned Parenthood of the Heartland CEO Jill June in a letter last week that it would be terminating its contracts with the Tulsa facilities at the end of December. The contracts are federally funded through the Women, Infants and Children program. This year, the Planned Parenthood clinics received $454,000, combined.

The Tulsa World first reported on the plan to terminate the agency’s contract on Thursday.

The head of the health department’s WIC Services division said the decision was based in part on the uncertainty of future federal funds and that Planned Parenthood’s cost per participant exceeded those of other Tulsa-area clinics.

“There were performance factors included in this decision,” said Terry Bryce, the chief of the health department’s WIC Services division.

Oklahoma is among the most conservative states, with Republicans currently in control of both legislative chambers and every statewide elected office. But Bryce denied there was any political motive behind the move, which he described as a “business decision.”

“The decision was a collective decision within the agency based on the agency’s need, the contractor’s performance and funding availability.”

June questioned whether a business decision was in the best interest of the women and children who receive services at the Tulsa clinics.

“I thought the program was about the needs of women and children,” she said. “We’re going to stand and fight to continue providing these services.”

The closure affects Planned Parenthood facilities in west Tulsa, midtown and Broken Arrow that average about 3,000 client visits per month, nearly 18 percent of all client visits in Tulsa County, according to health department data.

Bryce said there are no plans to close any of the other 14 clinics in Tulsa County that provide WIC services, and that the remaining clinics will be adequate to accommodate the additional clients.

“We have existing WIC clinics in close proximity to all three of these locations,” Bryce said.

Planned Parenthood is a major provider of abortion and contraception nationwide, but June said none of the facilities in Tulsa offer abortion services. The nonprofit agency has been at the middle of a hot-button national debate over abortion and contraceptives, and has come under fire in a number of conservative states that have sought to eliminate its funding.

Indiana passed the first law meant to deny Planned Parenthood federal funding for general health services, and the GOP-controlled Legislature in Texas passed a law last year that sought to exclude Planned Parenthood clinics that provide family planning and health services to poor women as part of the Texas Women’s Health Program.

Text Only

State, national, world

Oklahoma Legislature OKs tax breaks for storm victims
The bill approved unanimously in the Senate on Friday also provides sales tax breaks for businesses that donate inventory to help storm victims and property tax credits for property that increases in value after it's rebuilt.

May 24, 2013 1 Photo
Update: Company says it has permits to cross span
Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste blamed it on a tractor-trailer carrying a tall load that hit an upper part of the span. Motorists in the water walked away with minor injuries.

May 23, 2013 3 Photos
Birth control coverage, Hobby Lobby fight up for federal appeal
The Oklahoma City-based arts-and-crafts chain argues that businesses — not just the currently exempted religious groups — should be allowed to seek exception from access to the morning-after pill section of the health law if it violates their religious beliefs.

May 23, 2013 2 Photos 3 Stories
Boy Scouts approve plan to accept openly gay boys
Gay adults will remain barred from serving as Scout leaders.

May 23, 2013 2 Photos
37-year-old man charged in Washington state ricin scare
A grand jury indictment accuses Matthew Ryan Buquet, 37, of mailing a death threat to U.S. District Judge Fred Van Sickle in Spokane on May 14.

May 23, 2013 1 Photo
Fairchild AFB still candidate for new planes
Fairchild was a finalist for the job, along with bases in North Dakota and Altus, Okla., which was chosen to be base for a training unit, according to Washington officials.

May 23, 2013 1 Photo
3 southwest Kansas children found safe 5 miles from home
A citizen spotted them around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in Liberal and took them to a business. They were reported to be tired and hungry.

May 23, 2013 1 Photo
Urban renewal? Big U.S. cities showing strong growth
Prior to 2011, suburbs had consistently outpaced big cities since 1920, with the rise of the automobile.

May 23, 2013 1 Photo
House passes GOP bill to speed pipeline approval
Republicans said the measure was needed to ensure that the long-delayed pipeline, first proposed in 2008, is built.

May 22, 2013 3 Photos 2 Stories
Lawyer: Feds investigating Susan Powell case
Newly released police records show that Utah officials believe Josh Powell likely killed his wife in late 2009, and that his brother, Michael Powell, helped dispose of the body, but authorities felt they didn't have enough evidence to prove that theory in court.

May 21, 2013 1 Photo
More State, national, world Headlines

State, national, world

Search Results

Related Photos

Discussion

Oklahoma to end Planned Parenthood contracts

Site Map

Contact Us