Director, Commonwealth Policy Center

A headline in last week's Louisville Courier-Journals said "Bill targets Planned Parenthood, maybe churches." The journalist was referring to HB 149, which would bar any state tax dollars going to groups involved with abortion. The bill also bars funds going to groups that do abortion referrals. This alarmed Rev. Derek Penwell of Douglass Boulevard Christian Church in Louisville. He objected that that bill might dictate what he can or cannot say in a counseling situation." The dilemma for Penwell is that his church houses a daycare that receives state grants. Stan Lee, the sponsor of the bill said "If they want to provide other counseling and direction for other alternatives such as adoption, I think that’s great," he said. "But public money — taxpayer dollars — don’t need to be used to perform or promote abortion in any fashion…"