BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - A House panel on Monday took no action on a Senate bill to prohibit North Dakota State University from funneling federal grant money to Planned Parenthood for sex education in the state, a move some Republican lawmakers say may result in classes that promote abortion.
The legislation, which passed the Senate last month, ties the Planned Parenthood grant funding to an appropriations bill that includes more than $20 million in separate federal matching money known as challenge grants to North Dakota’s 11 colleges and universities. It also would allow the state’s two private colleges, University of Mary and Jamestown College, to participate in the challenge grant program.
A House Appropriations committee Monday decided to study the legislation further, though at least two of its members, including its chairman, GOP Rep. Jim Schmidt, signaled it was not proper to amend the bill with the Planned Parenthood provision.
Republican Sen. Janne Myrdal of Edinburg, one of the Legislature’s most ardent anti-abortion lawmakers, sponsored the amendment to the bill, which effectively holds hostage grant dollars to other universities unless NDSU ends its partnership with Planned Parenthood, because, among its many services, it is the largest abortion provider in the United States.
The legislation says an “institution” may not provide grants to any person or organization that performs, or promotes the performance of, an abortion unless the abortion is necessary,” Myrdal said in an interview that NDSU officials have “ignored” lawmakers’ concerns with the school’s relationship with Planned Parenthood. Two years ago, nearly 90 lawmakers in the Republican-led Legislature wrote an open letter to NDSU President Dean Bresciani asking him to do so.
In a response, Bresciani said there “are no clinical or abortion services associated with this grant. This grant is about education and helping to prevent teenage pregnancies and unhealthy relationships.
The grant to the university comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. University system officials could not immediately provide the amount of money it has received through the program for Planned Parenthood, and officials there did not return a message seeking comment on Monday.
According to the group’s website, “the unique partnership” between North Dakota State University and Planned Parenthood provides “comprehensive, medically accurate, and age appropriate” education. The group uses the funds to hold workshops for K-12 North Dakota teachers.
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