OPINION:
The abortion industry is poised to receive an unwitting windfall from the Show Me State. Legislation sitting on the governor’s desk would expand the distribution of subsidized drugs in Missouri under a federal program known as 340B.
This taxpayer-funded benefit underwrites the cost of drugs for some patients, provides medical care for the uninsured, offers vaccines and provides mental health services.
With that sort of wide remit, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Democrats have discovered opportunities to leverage the arrangement to drive their agenda, especially with respect to their favorite issue, abortion.
Planned Parenthood’s abortion providers make the most of available subsidies, which is why the group has been fighting so vigorously to strengthen the 340B program as a member of the 340B Coalition.
A regional Planned Parenthood office made that clear when it openly praised its relationship with the 340B program, noting that “Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest has partnered with these 340B pharmacies to provide our patients with discounts for their prescriptions.”
This is why the Biden administration issued guidance in 2022 threatening lawsuits against anyone daring to stand in the way of the sale of abortion drugs. A memo from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights stated: “If a pharmacy refuses to fill the individual’s prescription … because these medications can also be used to terminate a pregnancy — the pharmacy may be discriminating on the basis of sex.”
Gov. Mike Parson must take this into account as he decides what to do about SB 751, the legislation awaiting his signature. The Republican chief executive has been unwaveringly pro-life, but he could undo that legacy if he signs this bill into law.
In May, Mr. Parson kicked Planned Parenthood off Medicaid in an effort to defund them in Missouri. As he said at the time: “Our administration has been the strongest pro-life administration in Missouri history. We’ve ended all elective abortions in this state, approved new support for mothers, expecting mothers, and children, and, with this bill, ensured that we are not sending taxpayer dollars to abortion providers for any purpose.”
That good work would be undermined by allowing Planned Parenthood to replace what it lost with a new source of taxpayer cash through 340B, which makes it possible for the organization to provide abortion pills at a steep discount. It would be an unfortunate and unforced error from an elected official who has been a sturdy ally of life.
Surely neither the Missouri General Assembly nor Mr. Parson intended this expansion of 340B program benefits to flow from taxpayers right into the pockets of abortion providers. Many Republican lawmakers who voted for the legislation likely had no idea there could be a direct connection between 340B and Planned Parenthood.
The legislature should go back to the drawing board and find a way to reduce the cost of necessary medications without making taxpayers — willing or otherwise — de facto discount providers of abortions.
Mr. Parson should veto the legislation.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.