The Ohio legislature moved Wednesday to cut off $1.3 million in public health grants to Planned Parenthood in a closely watched vote that could have repercussions for the surging presidential campaign of Gov. John Kasich (R).
The bill, which cleared the Senate last month and passed the House on Wednesday, prohibits the Ohio Department of Health from giving state or federal grants to organizations that conduct or “promote” abortions. Kasich, who placed second in the Republican primary in New Hampshire on Tuesday, has said he would sign the bill.In the very next sentence we read,
While it could complicate his efforts to cast himself as a centrist...Isn't it amazing what could pass for a "centrist" in American politics these days (=cough= Overton window =sneeze=), and the media barely bats an eye?
There's a reason Planned Parenthood calls Kasich "one of the most extreme anti-abortion governors in the country." Here's a brief primer:
Consider that, since Kasich took office in 2011, he has signed into law 16 antiabortion measures. These include a ban on abortions after 20 weeks; a mandatory ultrasound for women having abortions in clinics that receive state funding; and a provision in the state’s budget bill that prevents rape crisis counselors from providing women with information about abortion services. Onerous regulations on abortion providers have led half the abortion clinics in the state to shut down.He seems nice. And very "centrist."
(As a bonus "centrist" tell, Kasich's "spiritual adviser" is on record calling gay rights activists "thought nazis" and "bullies." No doubt they want to jam something down the good pastor's throat...)
