By Bob Katzen

The Public Health Committee held a hearing on a measure that would prohibit the use of state funds for Planned Parenthood.

“Planned Parenthood is a non-government, non-profit that has broad and significant capacity to generate revenue through private fundraising from individuals who support its mission,” said sponsor Rep. Joseph McKenna (R-Sutton). “According to its annual 2023-2024 report it raised over $684.1 million from private contributions. Additionally, Planned Parenthood is exceedingly active politically. I do not believe that any organization or non-profit engaging in such overt and direct political actions while also maintaining the ability to raise significant funds through private contributions, should be paid by taxpayer funded earmarks — especially one whose primary mission is as extraordinarily divisive and controversial as Planned Parenthood’s mission of providing abortions.”

“The public funding of abortion has received majority support in the Massachusetts Legislature since the repeal of the Doyle/Flynn law in 1996,” said C. J. Doyle, the Executive Director of the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts. “Realistically, there is no path forward for Rep. McKenna’s proposal. Nonetheless, the issue ought to be raised.”

Doyle continued, “The Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts is the principal perpetrator of abortions in the commonwealth. According to a July 3rd story in The Boston Globe, it was responsible for 9,462 abortions in the state in 2024. Pro-life citizens of the Bay State understand that abortion is the deliberate destruction of innocent human life. These citizens are forced, through the use of their tax dollars, to subsidize procedures which offend their consciences and which contravene their sincerely held moral principles and religious beliefs. One possible benefit of a public debate on taxpayer support for Planned Parenthood is that it might finally oblige the leadership of the Catholic Church—after five decades of silence—to confront the fact that a majority of Catholics in the Legislature support a practice which their religion describes as an abominable crime.”

Sen. Cindy Friedman (D-Arlington) and the groups Reproductive Equity Now and Planned Parenthood of Massachusetts, all supporters of pro-choice, did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call asking them to comment on McKenna’s bill.