PLANNED PARENTHOOD HAS ITS HAND OUT AGAIN

Just as there are a lot of Missourians who oppose abortion on demand, partial-birth abortions and the harvesting of organs and tissue from aborted fetuses, there are a lot of Missourians who favor family planning, particularly if it keeps women who might seek abortions from getting pregnant.

As demonstrated by key votes on abortion-related issues, a majority of the Missouri Legislature favors spending state funds to help family-planning clinics while opposing the use of any state funds for abortion clinics.

It has been a tough choice for legislators to restrict state funding for Planned Parenthood, in effect ending taxpayer support for both the family-planning and abortion services offered by the well-known organization that has devoted years to providing its services around the country. But there is no obvious solution to the issue of keeping state funding separate within such organizations. Planned Parenthood insists it would use any state money only for its family-planning services. But many legislators and many Missourians also understand that state funding for family planning only frees up more Planned Parenthood money for abortions. And that isn't acceptable.

Planned Parenthood sought legal remedies to void the Legislature's decision to withhold funding, but the courts have upheld the policy-making votes. In an effort to either embarrass the Legislature or call its bluff -- or both -- the director of the state's Department of Health pulled family-planning funding for all state-supported clinics that provide such service. This was clearly an arrogant act, and the courts moved swiftly to restore the funding.

Given the outcome of recent events -- a Legislature unwilling to fund Planned Parenthood, supportive taxpayers and courts that agree -- it seems more than a little odd that the top official of Planned Parenthood in St. Louis is busy once again in the halls of the capitol trying to convince legislators they should change their minds.

Paula Gianino is tying up legislative budget hearings with testimony, citing the success of Planned Parenthood in family-planning efforts and the organization's contribution to a drop in the teen pregnancy rate.

Of course, there is little to argue with here. Planned Parenthood has been successful with its family-planning programs. And it has contributed to fewer teen pregnancies, which is a goal of every organization involved in family planning.

But the fact remains that Planned Parenthood also is the largest provider of abortions in the state. And as long as the abortions continue, there is no wiggle room for lawmakers who want to make sure taxpayers aren't paying for anything but family planning.

If Planned Parenthood is so intent on the need for state funding for its family-planning mission, there is a quick and simple way to end the logjam: stop doing abortions.