An attempt to override a veto by Gov. Chris Christie failed in the state Assembly Thursday.
Democrats attempted to reverse the governor’s veto of funding for family planning clinics, including Planned Parenthood. The measure failed by one vote.
Supporters of the override say clinics closed and the STD rate spiked after Gov. Christie’s first veto of the funding. But the governor said that he vetoed the funding because it was unnecessary and that he opposed abortion.
“The taxpayers of New Jersey are under no obligation to fund Planned Parenthood,” says New Jersey Right to Life director Marie Tasy. “They are a private nonprofit organization. They received hundreds of millions of dollars of our tax money from the federal government. They have the ability to raise their own money.”
State Democrats have never successfully overrode any of the governor's vetoes.