Members of the Ohio legislature are considering a new bill that would give tax credits to anti-abortion pregnancy resource centers, only one week after the Buckeye State enshrined abortion rights into the state constitution.
State Sen. Sandra O'Brien (R) on Tuesday proposed legislation to add donations to "qualifying pregnancy resource centers" to the list of eligible credits for taxpayers. Individual donors can receive a credit of up to 50% of their pre-credit tax liability, which can be carried forward for five years if it exceeds 50%.
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The legislation says that a qualifying center cannot perform or promote nontheraputic abortions, another term for elective abortion procedures. Qualifying centers also cannot contract with or be affiliated with other individuals or centers that provide elective abortions.
Pregnancy resource centers, also known as crisis pregnancy centers, are often religiously affiliated and provide support to pregnant women, such as diapers and clothing, to discourage abortion out of financial need.
O'Brien said in an Ohio Senate Finance Committee meeting on Tuesday that the efforts of pregnancy resource centers "show their commitment to serving women and families around them, and serving the lives of the unborn .... A tax credit is the least we can do."
Critics of pregnancy resource centers, however, note that facilities are often not staffed with trained medical professionals who can give advice on medical procedures. Pregnancy resource centers have also been accused of false advertising toward women seeking abortion services.
"Many CPC staffs use false and misleading information, emotional manipulation, and delays to divert pregnant people from accessing comprehensive and timely care from patient-centered, appropriately trained, and licensed medical professionals," says the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in their policy brief against pregnancy resource centers.
ACOG openly condemns all limitations on access to abortion regardless of the gestational age of the child in the womb. The organization also strongly recommends that state governments only give to "legitimate health care organizations that provide comprehensive, medically accurate, and nondirective counseling and referrals."
Ohio's reproductive rights amendment took immediate effect after 56% of Ohioans voted in favor of the proposal on Election Day. The amendment specifies that the state legislature cannot take actions that "directly or indirectly, burden, penalize, prohibit, interfere with, or discriminate against" reproductive decisions, including abortion.
Ohio's Republican-majority legislature and Gov. Mike DeWine (R) increased the two-year budget program for anti-abortion pregnancy resource centers from $6 million to $14 million.
In 2019, the Ohio Policy Evaluation Network estimated that there were 119 pregnancy resource centers in the state, the majority of which are in the Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland areas. Nation-wide, there are more than 2,500 centers, outnumbering abortion clinics three to one.
“We need more of these centers because women are in crisis,” said Republican State Senator Jerry Cirino on Tuesday. “In light of recent initiatives at the polls, I should say, I think we need to make sure that we are reaching out to women that are in these situations and figuring out how we can help them more.”
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Of the nearly 18,500 abortions in Ohio in 2022, 67% were performed within the first nine weeks of pregnancy.
O'Brien did not respond to the Washington Examiner's request for comment at the time of publication.