The Michigan Senate passed a controversial measure Thursday that opponents said could prevent clinics providing medical treatment for women in low-income families from receiving public funds. While supporters said HB 4655 prioritizes the allocation of tax dollars, others criticize the bill for the message it sends about abortion.

Although the measure passed, it failed to win immediate effect, meaning the bill will likely not take effect until next April.

The measure requires the Department of Community Health to set priorities on which family planning clinics will be eligible for state and federal family planning funding. It gives preferential funding to clinics that have no ties to abortion-related issues.

This means a loss of future funding for health centers - such as Planned Parenthood - that perform abortions, refer women to abortion providers or have a written policy that considers abortion part of a continuum of reproductive health services.

LSA junior Clair Morrissey, the chair of Students for Choice, said the bill does a disservice to low-income families that benefit from Planned Parenthood's sliding scale services.

"Planned Parenthood charges you based on how much you make. Because it's illegal for money from the state to go to abortion anyways, the bill is really cutting funding for other services Planned Parenthood provides, like pap smears, mammograms and low-cost birth control," she said.

Tom Chadwick, legislative aide to Senate Majority Floor Leader Joanne Emmons (R-Big Rapids) said Emmons is a supporter of the bill and that the measure does not intend to cut funding to any organizations.

"It doesn't take one dollar away from Planned Parenthood. All the bill does it prioritize (future) funding to places that don't promote abortion. In the state of Michigan abortion is not considered a part of family planning," he said.

Opponents of the bill argue that only three Planned Parenthood clinics provide abortions and that no state money is used for the procedures.

By monetarily favoring funds to clinics that are mostly crisis pregnancy centers, Morrissey said, the measure hurts the 30 clinics that provide pregnancy care, cervical cancer screening, hormone replacement therapy and other services in women's medical care.

But Chadwick also said that in areas where no other family planning institutions are available, some Planned Parenthood clinics would receive funding.

"The Planned Parenthood clinics that don't advocate abortion will receive taxpayer dollars," he said.

State Sen. John Schwarz (R-Battle Creek) said he disagreed with the bill because of its ideological nature.

"You can't just exclude one organization because they give advice on an issue. I think it's inappropriate for the legislature to dictate by dollars that those dollars be spent on one organization and exclude others," he said. "It's ideological and that's why we really shouldn't be involved."