Alabama is the third state to cut funding for Planned Parenthood in light of the release of controversial videos showing executives with the leading abortion company describing the harvesting and marketing of aborted baby parts.
"The deplorable practices at Planned Parenthood have been exposed to Americans. I've terminated any association with the organization in AL," Alabama Governor Robert Bentley, a medical doctor, wrote last week on his Twitter account.
"As a doctor and Alabama's governor, the issue of human life, from conception to birth and beyond, is extremely important to me. I respect human life, and I do not want Alabama to be associated with an organization that does not," he added.
CNN reports that the governor's office later released a statement saying that the Alabama Medicaid Agency will terminate its provider contract with Planned Parenthood with a 15-day notice. If Planned Parenthood opposes the decision, the nonprofit has 60 days to apply for a fair hearing.
Alabama joins Louisiana and New Hampshire in cutting funding for the country's leading abortion provider after the conservative group Center for Medical Progress released a series of five videos showing Planned Parenthood officials discussing the procurement and sale of organs from aborted children for research.
Earlier this week, Louisiana's Republican Governor Bobby Jindal released a statement explaining his state's decision: "In recent weeks, it has been shocking to see reports of the alleged activities taking place at Planned Parenthood facilities across the country. Planned Parenthood does not represent the values of the people of Louisiana and shows a fundamental disrespect for human life. It has become clear that this is not an organization that is worthy of receiving public assistance from the state," he said.
While he remains a supporter of the services provided by Planned Parenthood, New Hampshire Executive Councilor Chris Sununu, R-Newfields, said he had serious concerns about the abortion group's methods following the release of the videos.
"To say there is a direct correlation between the number of dollars and number of people served is disingenuous," Sununu told the New Hampshire Union Leader. "The organization has done good work, but I have serious questions about it, especially at the national level."
Numerous religious and pro-life leaders have praised the the move, including Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), who commended "the moral clarity and conviction of these states that have taken real action to prevent Planned Parenthood from accessing taxpayer funds."
"It is abundantly clear that what goes on in Planned Parenthood clinics is not reproductive health but a ghoulish form of human piracy," he told the Baptist Press.
"We mourn the lack of moral leadership that failed to pass legislation in the U.S. Senate, but as these governors and officials have demonstrated, real action and real change is possible. The ultimate defunding of Planned Parenthood is a human rights issue that is worthy of our endurance."
Casey Mattox, senior counsel of Alliance Defending Freedom, also voiced her support for the decision, telling the news outlet, "Not one more penny should go to Planned Parenthood, a billion-dollar abortion dealer caught on camera negotiating the sale of hearts, lungs, and livers from aborted babies. Our tax dollars instead should fund local public health clinics, which outnumber Planned Parenthood locations more than 10 to 1 and are not tainted by constant scandals and misdeeds. America doesn't need Planned Parenthood."
A total of 12 states have also launched investigations into the abortion organization, including South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Kansas, Missouri, Arizona, Indiana, Ohio, Georgia, Texas, and Louisiana.
