Now that the Executive Council recently voted 3 – 2 to defund Planned Parenthood here in New Hampshire, a 2011 defunding of the abortion giant is coming into the public eye here in New Hampshire and beyond. Some might not remember that in 2011, the NH Executive Council also voted to defund Planned Parenthood. In response to this defunding, the Obama administration awarded a non-competitive $1 million dollar grant directly to the New Hampshire affiliate of Planned Parenthood. This controversial and inexplicable funding resulted in NHRTL requesting the documentation from the Obama Administration regarding this suspicious replacement grant.
On August 10, 2015, NHRTL and ADF filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court requesting to have communications and documents from this 2011 grant released under the Freedom of Information Act. Since the state of NH declined the Title X monies only to be overridden by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, it seems only natural that citizens have the right to an explanation as to HOW these monies made their way to New Hampshire.
Why is this important? The answer is simple. The state of New Hampshire declined the Title X funds because of concerns that the Planned Parenthood affiliate was improperly using the funds to subsidize abortion, which is against federal statutes. Against the will of the NH Executive Council, this mysterious HHS grant was then sent by the Obama Administration to Planned Parenthood. Was this legal? Was our state fiscal process and indeed, our own state sovereignty usurped by the federal government? And, can this happen again, now that the Executive Council has once more, defunded Planned Parenthood here in NH? We sincerely hope not.
Of course, the obvious lack of transparency and accountability of the Obama administration makes this situation even more disconcerting. The fact that this administration is actively keeping information secret from the public regarding a circuitous federal grant is a concern for all citizens and is completely unacceptable on every level. The government should immediately comply with the law and disclose all information regarding this funding. New Hampshire taxpayers and citizens deserve to know the truth.