SANTA ANA, Calif., Apr 29, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Orange County supervisors
in Southern California voted Tuesday to restore a $300,000 sex education grant
to Planned Parenthood.
The supervisors also adopted a new policy on the use of tobacco settlement
money, directing the Orange County Health Agency to spend it on direct services,
not education, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The county suspended the Planned Parenthood contract in March because the
organization performs abortions. The reversal was prompted by county lawyers.
The new regulations could affect production of health pamphlets, health classes
and even translation services. The supervisor also said services funded by
tobacco settlement money should not be provided at locations where abortions are
performed.
Jon Dunn, who heads Planned Parenthood Orange and San Bernardino Counties,
suggested the supervisors are being shortsighted because sex and health
education can be more cost-effective than direct services.
"Clearly this is an effort to target Planned Parenthood," he said. "It's much
more costly to treat people once they have a symptom than to provide them with
the information they need to prevent an infection from occurring."
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