Manatee OKs new rule blocking taxpayer funds for Planned Parenthood, abortion providers

The Manatee County Commission targeted Planned Parenthood and other abortion service providers by approving a new rule that blocks local government funding for any nonprofit “affiliated” with those groups.

The board, which is made up of seven Republicans, vowed to end taxpayer support of organizations like Planned Parenthood, despite the fact that there are no abortion service providers in Manatee County. The nearest Planned Parenthood facility is 736 Central Ave., Sarasota, in Sarasota County.

“I don’t think anyone should be comfortable referring anyone to Planned Parenthood. I have zero qualms with passing something that might make someone think twice before doing that,” Commissioner James Satcher said.

In a statement provided to the Bradenton Herald, Stephanie Fraim, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, slammed commissioners for “attacking the local nonprofits that provide crucial services to this community.”

“Their only goal is to scare local nonprofits and stop their clients from accessing the free services and programs that Planned Parenthood provides,” Fraim wrote. “This is not about health care. This is a politically motivated attack intended to exert control and restrict people’s ability to benefit from cancer screenings and other valuable resources.”

In addition to abortion services, Planned Parenthood also provides reproductive health education, pregnancy prevention programs and testing for sexually transmitted diseases.

Manatee blocks funds for abortion providers

Tuesday’s vote traces back to July when the board voted to approve roughly $15 million to support children’s services throughout the Bradenton area. At the time, Satcher urged his fellow commissioners to deny funding for a pregnancy prevention program at PACE Center for Girls.

The District 1 commissioner said he believed PACE would use county funds to invite Planned Parenthood to speak about pregnancy and abortion. Amy Wick Mavis, the school’s executive director, denied the accusation during a public meeting.

“I can’t tell you what to do with your organization, but representing my taxpayers, I will never be able to vote for taxpayer money to go to any services along those lines,” Satcher said at the time.

Satcher was overruled, however, when the board chose to move forward with financial support for the pregnancy prevention program, which no longer has ties to Planned Parenthood, Wick Mavis said. He later called for the board to approve a resolution banning the use of taxpayer funds in support of any abortion provider.

That resolution returned for discussion during Tuesday’s meeting. County staff proposed a resolution that denies money for “any agency requesting funding through the county’s nonprofit application process who are affiliated with Planned Parenthood or any abortion providers or to otherwise fund any abortion services.”

Is county policy ‘way too extreme?’

During a roughly hour-long debate, some commissioners questioned the use of the word “affiliated,” arguing that it is a broad term that could be used to deny funding to an eligible nonprofit.

“Affiliated is a very broad term. It can mean anything,” said Commissioner George Kruse. “This is way too extreme. This needs to be tightened up.”

“I do think it’s a little bit broad,” added Commissioner Amanda Ballard.

Other board members said they were not concerned with the resolution’s wording.

“I believe we’re blessed that we don’t have any abortion clinics here in Manatee County,” said Commissioner Jason Bearden. “My job is to protect the rights of the people, and that’s even those that are unborn.”

Other attacks on abortion rights

Satcher has targeted Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers before. In June 2021, he attempted to create a county rule that would ban abortion clinics, even though there were no active clinics at the time. The Office of the Florida Attorney General Florida later clarified that the ban would not be legal.

The board’s vote comes at a time when the right to have an abortion is under attack across the country.

Last summer, the Supreme Court of the United States overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that guaranteed a right to an abortion. In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a restrictive abortion law limiting the procedure that terminates a pregnancy to six weeks in most cases.

Speaking during public comment, several residents criticized the board for moving forward with the rule to block taxpayer funds for providers of abortion services.

“Their No. 1 mission is education,” said Maureen Zaremba while wearing a pink “I Stand with Planned Parenthood” shirt. “If we are so concerned about abortion, why aren’t we giving Planned Parenthood the opportunity to educate our most vulnerable populations about how to prevent a pregnancy?”

“This half-baked proposal is not about government funding of these services,” said Kate Danehy-Samitz, founder of the Women’s Voices of Southwest Florida group that began as a result of Satcher’s previous attempt to restrict abortion. “It’s an attack on a nonprofit that you don’t like and to claim that county money is going toward these services is a farce. It’s a falsity.”

Commissioners voted 6-1 to approve the policy banning taxpayer funds to support abortion providers. Kruse voted against the resolution.

The policy takes effect immediately and applies to nonprofits seeking county government funding for children services, adult human services and health services.

According to a statement following the board’s vote, Planned Parenthood said it remains committed to offering “educational and health care services” to Manatee County residents.