LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) \u2014 Though the Insight Women\u2019s Center sits at the epicenter of a reinvigorated battle in the nation\u2019s culture wars, the only hint of its faith-based mission to dissuade people from getting abortions is the jazzy, piano rendition of \u201cJesus Loves Me\u201d playing in a waiting room.
\nThe Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature is considering allocating millions of dollars in state funds to similar anti-abortion centers that persuade people to bring their pregnancies to term by offering free pregnancy tests and sonograms, as well as counseling and parenting classes taught by volunteers. They\u2019re also considering offering millions more in income tax credits for donors supporting what they call \u201ccrisis pregnancy centers.\u201d
\nWhen the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year and gave control of abortion policy to the states, it led to bans and restrictions in some states, and executive orders and laws protecting access in others. Those debates continue, but perhaps less noticed is how this change refueled the renewed battle over taxpayer money.
\nSupporters say the effort shows abortion opponents are addressing families\u2019 social and financial needs. But critics say the amount of new funding proposed for organizations like Insight \u2014 either in direct funding or tax credits for their donors \u2014 fall far short of what\u2019s necessary to improve people\u2019s access to health care and address ongoing poverty.
\n\u201cYou funnel money through a short-term solution that makes it appear as though you are doing something,\u201d said Alesha Doan, a University of Kansas associate professor who has studied and written books about abortion politics.
\nIncreasingly, liberal cities and states are funding access to abortion, including telemedicine, which has seen a notable rise with more than half of U.S. abortions now done with pills rather than surgery. Meanwhile, states with GOP legislatures and governors are looking to put more taxpayer money into organizations that talk people out of ending their pregnancies.
\nLegislative committees held hearings Thursday on proposals for a 70% income tax credit to donors who support anti-abortion centers, with a cap of $10 million in total credits. A Senate committee might vote this week.
\nIt\u2019s similar to a longstanding Missouri law that provides income tax credits to donors supporting anti-abortion centers. Arizona has such a law, and Mississippi\u2019s Republican House speaker is trying to expand a cap on tax credits to $10 million from the $3.5 million authorized last year.
\nArkansas and Oklahoma are considering adding similar tax credits, according to the National Right to Life Committee.
\nIn Missouri, donors to anti-abortion centers have received $15 million in total state tax credits over the past five years, and one state analysis estimates the centers served about 43,000 people last year.
\nAbortion opponents have operated centers like Insight for decades, and the practice of conservative-led states offering financial aid to them predates Dobbs \u2014 the decision in June overturning Roe v. Wade.
\nOn the abortion-rights side, Oregon lawmakers last year created a $15 million abortion-access fund, with the first $1 million going to a nonprofit that covers the costs of patients\u2019 travel and procedures. California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Washington have also allocated or are considering offering public funding for abortions or related services.
\nIn New Mexico last year, Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham pledged $10 million in state funds to the construction of a new abortion clinic.
\nMorgan Hopkins, president of the abortion-rights advocacy group All(asterisk) Above All praised the funding. \u201cBudgets are a reflection of our values,\u201d she said.
\nKansas already provides grants to programs that provide prenatal care, and encourage people to carry their pregnancies to term. But it spends less than $339,000 in a state budget of $24 billion on the program \u2014 and made only two grants totaling less than $74,000 to anti-abortion centers.
\nNow, some abortion opponents talk about emulating Missouri\u2019s more than $8 million annual funding, plus the income tax credits.
\nAbortion rights supporters are frustrated that the push for such support is coming so soon after an Aug. 2 statewide vote that decisively rejected a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution that would have allowed legislators to greatly restrict or ban abortion.
\n\u201cI have general concerns that we\u2019re not respecting what was the very clear will of voters,\u201d said state Sen. Ethan Corson, a Kansas City-area Democrat who serves on the Senate tax committee.
\nAbortion rights advocates say the centers lure patients away from abortion clinics with free services, give them inaccurate medical information and counseling from people who are not trained therapists. Some see funding them as a political gesture designed to make abortion bans look less harsh.
\nAbortion opponents argue that centers like Insight offer patients a wide range of prenatal and post-birth classes, in addition to other help. They also argue that boosting funding for free services after the August vote is a promise not to abandon parents and families.
\nIn Lawrence, where the nearest abortion clinic is a 40-minute drive away, 28-year-old Korbe Bohac is still visiting the Insight center nearly 8 months after her son Winston was born. She told legislators the classes and counseling make her a better, more confident parent \u2014 and helped preserve her mental health. She called it \u201ca safety net.\u201d
\nThe Insight center, which is only a few miles from the University of Kansas, has two sonogram nurses, and a doctor and radiologist sometimes volunteer their time. But services depend mostly on about 50 volunteers. The $340,000 annual budget is mostly supplied by private donations, but the organization received a community development grant in 2014 to launch parent education programs.
\nCenter staff said that although they do not refer clients to abortion providers, they discuss abortion as an option. They said some patients who met with them went on to have abortions, though this is not possible to verify given patients\u2019 privacy protocols.
\nInsight has two separate waiting rooms \u2014 one for its educational programs and one for medical services. Executive director Bridgit Smith said one reason is that it keeps pregnant patients from being influenced by seeing babies and toddlers.
\nSmith said she believes the proposed tax credit would increase donations, helping Insight start a maternity home for people without shelter.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re trying to build strong individuals and strong families. And isn\u2019t that what we all want?\u201d Smith said. \u201cEven for the woman that doesn\u2019t choose to parent, we still want her to be strong and healthy after the decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
Apnews<\/p>\n
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