Missouri Gov. Signs Bill That Gives Tax Credits For Donations To Pregnancy Centers That Do Not Perform Abortions, Make Referrals

Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt (R) on Tuesday signed into law a bill (HB 1485) that would give a tax credit -- which could be used on income taxes and some types of business taxes -- for donations to crisis pregnancy centers that do not perform abortions or refer women to clinics that perform the procedure, the Columbia Daily Tribune (Rosenbaum, Columbia Daily Tribune, 7/11). The measure authorizes the state to issue a tax credit for the next six years that is worth half the value of donations between $100 and $50,000 and is limited to $2 million annually. The credit expires after four years and will be administered by the state Department of Social Services (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 4/18). "I believe it will allow pregnancy-resource centers to continue their very important work," Blunt said at Rachel's House, a pregnancy resource center in Lee's Summit, Mo. (Uhlenruth, Kansas City Star, 7/12). Blunt toured the state on Tuesday to promote the legislation, the AP/Belleville News-Democrat reports (Wiese, AP/Belleville News-Democrat, 7/11). "These are resource centers that truly do believe that we should have a culture that values human life," he said in a statement (Ertelt, LifeNews.com, 7/11). Speaking at Open Arms Pregnancy Resource Center in Columbia, Mo., Blunt added, "I clearly believe that your money would be better spent here than at Planned Parenthood." Peter Brownlie, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri, said pregnancy resource centers often "bombard" women "with antiabortion propaganda" and "provide information from a very biased viewpoint and attempt to pressure women" (Columbia Daily Tribune, 7/11).

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