Whitmer axes stem cell research, pregnancy center funding over abortion access concerns – MLive.com

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer used her veto pen on the states education budget Thursday to strike funding for pregnancy centers and stem cell research, saying that wording within the bill tried to create a gag rule concerning abortion.

Whitmer gave the final OK to a $19.6 billion K-12 education budget which contained an additional roughly $2 billion to universities and $530.3 million to community colleges, bringing the overall amount of the education budget to $22.2 billion July 14 at Mott Community College in Flint.

Word of her vetoes, however, came not too long after signing the budget and were targeted in two specific areas: stem cell research and crisis pregnancy centers.

RELATED: Whitmer signs $19.6B historic education budget, contains highest ever per-pupil investment

In a letter sent to lawmakers detailing the status of the final budget bill, Whitmer wrote that she was striking the items from the document as they harm womens health care.

These line items would create a gag rule preventing reproductive health-service providers from even mentioning abortion and otherwise make it harder for women to get the health care they need, she wrote. Any efforts to undermine a womans ability to make her own medical decisions with her trusted health-care provider will earn my disapproval. Women and doctors should be making health-care decisions not politicians.

Comprising her three vetoes were two $500,000 funding pots for pregnant and parenting student services, the wording for which put an explicit bar on mentioning abortion as a form of family planning, and $5 million in funding for stem cell/fetal tissue research.

Similar to the pregnancy service centers, wording surrounding the stem cell research grants would require universities agree to not conduct any research on aborted fetal tissue in order to make use of those funds.

On Friday, her administration again defended the move, with Whitmers Communication Director Bobby Leddy saying: While politicians in other states rush to restrict womens health care rights, even in instances of rape or incest, Michigan must remain a place where a womans ability to make her own medical decisions with her trusted health-care provider is respected.

The education budget signed earlier this week possesses the highest amount of per-pupil funding the state has ever allocated at $9,150 a child. Its a $450 increase per child, equaling a total cost increase of $630.5 million from the year prior. Theres also $214 in additional per-pupil funding for mental health and school safety for every child enrolled in a public school district.

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Whitmer axes stem cell research, pregnancy center funding over abortion access concerns - MLive.com