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A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 7 February 2022
Millions in tax dollars flow to anti-abortion centers in U.S.

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI Chelsey Youman, Texas
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) state director and national
— Anti-abortion centers legislative adviser for Hu-
across the country are re- man Coalition, a top con-
ceiving tens of millions of tractor under the state's
tax dollars to talk women alternatives-to-abortion
out of ending their preg- program. "Women are say-
nancies, a nearly fivefold ing, 'All right, abortion isn't
increase from a decade available after my child has
ago that resulted from an a heartbeat, so what is out
often-overlooked effort here?'"
by mostly Republican-led The new law, Youman said,
states. has helped refocus the cri-
The nonprofits known as sis pregnancy centers' ef-
crisis pregnancy centers forts on both women who
are typically religiously af- have accepted the new
filiated and counsel clients restrictions and need help,
against having an abor- as well as those who are
tion as part of their free but wavering on whether to
limited services. That prac- cross state lines to get an
tice and the fact that they abortion.
generally are not licensed Most centers offer preg-
as medical facilities have nancy tests and pregnan-
raised questions about cy-related counseling.
whether it's appropriate to Portico Crisis Pregnancy Center executive Director Laura Messick, left, shows Tennessee Gov. Bill Some also offer limited
funnel so much tax money Lee one of two ultrasound examination rooms during a tour Jan. 26, 2022, in Murfreesboro, Tenn. medical services such as ul-
their way. Associated Press trasounds.
An Associated Press tally Last year, Tennessee law-
based on state budget fig- pinpoint exactly how many medical care. They act like Supporters hope to expand makers allocated money
ures reveals that nearly $89 pregnancy centers receive they do, but they don't." the number of centers if the for several ultrasound ma-
million has been allocat- taxpayer dollars also is dif- What is clear is that taxpay- U.S. Supreme Court over- chines to be placed in
ed to such centers across ficult because each state er funding for the centers turns or significantly restricts pregnancy centers. At a
about a dozen states this has a different system to has spiked in recent years abortion rights in a case to recent dedication of an
fiscal year. A decade ago, distribute the money. as more Republican-led be decided later this year. ultrasound machine about
the annual funding for the "It's bad governing. We're states have passed legisla- That momentum is already 30 miles (48 kilometers)
programs hovered around supposed to be monitoring tion severely limiting access building in Texas, where a south of Nashville, Repub-
$17 million in about eight our taxpayer money and to abortion. state law that effectively lican Gov. Bill Lee said the
states. we don't know where the The centers have also been bans abortion at about state-funded purchase was
Estimates of how many money is going," said Julie accused of providing mis- six weeks — before many critical in swaying patients
abortions have been pre- von Haefen, a Democrat- leading information about women know they are who were considering the
vented by such programs ic state representative in abortion and contracep- pregnant — has been in ef- procedure.
are unknown because North Carolina, which has tion — for example, sug- fect since September. The first state to enact an
many states only require sent millions in public mon- gesting that abortion leads "We have seen women official abortion-alterna-
reports of how many cli- ey to pregnancy centers. to mental health problems still steadily seeking out re- tives program was Pennsyl-
ents were served. Trying to "These clinics don't provide or breast cancer. sources and services," said vania in the mid-1990s. q

Former Pentagon chief Mark Esper drops lawsuit over memoir

Department in which he cation. Esper has said pub- Esper led the Pentagon,
claimed that material was licly that some 60 pages of including the use of the
being improperly withheld the manuscript contained military during civil unrest in
from his use as he wrote a redactions at one point June 2020 following the kill-
memoir about his tenure in during a security review ing of George Floyd.
the Trump administration. and maintained that no No other president had
Esper's lawyer, Mark S. Zaid, classified information was fired a defense secretary
said in a statement on Fri- being used. after losing an election;
day that the Pentagon had The book, "A Sacred Oath," doing so allowed Trump to
reversed its stance on "the will be published in May, place loyalists in leading
overwhelming majority" of Zaid said. Pentagon positions as he
material that officials had The book covers Esper's disputed his loss to Demo-
deemed classified and thus time as Army secretary, crat Joe Biden.
not for publication. What 2017 to 2019, and his 18 The lawsuit described the
remained in dispute over its months as defense sec- period in which Esper was
classification wasn't central retary. President Donald Pentagon chief as "an un-
In this June 26, 2019, photo, Acting U.S. Secretary for Defense to Esper's book, Zaid said. Trump fired the West Point precedented time of civil
Mark Esper speaks during a press point with NATO Secretary
General Jens Stoltenberg prior to a meeting of NATO defense The lawsuit filed Nov. 28 in graduate and Gulf War unrest, public health crises,
ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels. U.S. District Court in Wash- veteran in a tweet shortly growing threats abroad,
Associated Press ington contended that "sig- after Trump lost his reelec- Pentagon transformation,
nificant text" in the memoir tion bid. and a White House seem-
WASHINGTON (AP) — For- Mark Esper has dropped a was being improperly held Esper and Trump clashed ingly bent on circumvent-
mer Defense Secretary lawsuit against the Defense under the guise of classifi- over several issues while ing the Constitution."q