North Dakota lawmakers push new attack on Planned Parenthood

{mosads}Last week, North Dakota approved the most restrictive abortion laws in the country. Now, a measure that could eliminate the sex-education program has been attached to a separate bill moving through the state legislature.

The sex-ed program is a partnership between Planned Parenthood and North Dakota State University. It aims to provide sex-ed to kids who are at a high risk of an unplanned teen pregnancy.

“Right now, these youth aren’t making plans for their future,” said Molly Secor-Turner, a professor at the university and the lead researcher on the program.

Some members of the state Legislature say their amendment would not affect the sex-ed program, but Secor-Turner said it is “a clear attack on my university and Planned Parenthood.”

Several states have sought to cut Planned Parenthood out of their Medicaid programs because it provides abortions in addition to other healthcare services.

The federal government has successfully blocked those efforts, but the measure in North Dakota is different. It is not targeted at Medicaid, which is a joint state-federal program, but rather at the state’s higher-education funding.