INDIANAPOLIS — Governor Mitch Daniels said yesterday that he will sign a bill restricting abortions and making Indiana the first state to cut off all government funding for Planned Parenthood, a move likely to beef up his credentials among social conservatives as he considers a run for president.
Daniels said that he supported the abortion restrictions from the outset, and that the provision added to defund Planned Parenthood did not change his mind. He said women’s health, family planning, and other services will remain available. “The principle involved commands the support of an overwhelming majority of Hoosiers,’’ Daniels said in a statement announcing his intention to sign the bill when it arrives on his desk.
But doing so also puts Indiana at risk of losing $4 million a year in federal family planning grants likely to be cut off because of the legislation. Daniels, known as a fiscal hawk, did not address the loss in his statement. He said he has ordered Indiana’s Family and Social Services Administration to ensure that Medicaid recipients receive prompt notice of nearby care options.
Planned Parenthood of Indiana, which had urged Daniels to veto the bill, launched a series of statewide rallies against it yesterday.
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