Image: 2011-03-02 22:06:43
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill Friday to cut the program that provides family planning and reproductive health services for low-income women.
The grant program is called Title X, which distributed more than $300 million for family planning services like contraception and testing for pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases last year, according to the U.S. Office of Population Affairs.
The House also voted to cut all federal funding for Planned Parenthood.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re pro-life or pro-choice, the government needs to cut its spending,” said Matthew Hurt, chair of the Tech College Republicans. Hurt is also a regular columnist for the Collegiate Times. “Planned Parenthood is one of these organizations that doesn’t really need that funding. There are other resources out there.”
Planned Parenthood receives federal funding through both Title X and Medicaid, which together make up about a third of its operating budget, according to its 2008 annual report.
“It will not cease to exist without government funding,” Hurt said.
By law, Title X money cannot be spent on abortions. It is intended only for family planning services.
“Title X distributes money through the states to low-income women and teens so they can access low-cost gynecological exams, STD testing, pregnancy testing and contraceptives,” said David Nova, vice president of Planned Parenthood Health Systems. “The vast majority of Planned Parenthood funding nationwide is Title X money.”
But Nova said the biggest change for Virginians is that they would no longer be able to pay for Planned Parenthood’s services using Medicaid.
“In Virginia, Planned Parenthood already doesn’t receive any state or federal money from Title X, but we do accept Medicaid because it increases access to medical services for those who have the greatest difficulty,” Nova said. “What this will do in Virginia is limit women and men on Medicaid to access Planned Parenthood services,” Nova said.
Medicaid is a federally supported insurance program that provides access to health services for low-income families.
“Planned Parenthood is there for reproductive healthcare for low-income women, especially in our own age bracket. If it wasn’t there it would be a huge problem for millions of women,” said sophomore Kimberly McFarland, an active member of the Tech-based women’s rights advocacy group Womanspace.
McFarland said she is passionate about Planned Parenthood because it is there for the people, and it has been important in her own life as well.
“Back when I was a teen and needed health education information, they provided that for me,” McFarland said.
McFarland said Planned Parenthood is especially vital to community members who don’t have access to a campus healthcare center.
“As students we would still be able to access birth control at an affordable cost via the women’s health clinic, but for young women in the community, Planned Parenthood might be their primary resource,” she said.
Hurt said there are other options for students and other members of the community, and that Planned Parenthood is not vital to the community.
“Planned Parenthood isn’t the only place in Blacksburg for students to go to for help,” Hurt said. “The Pregnancy Resource Center, for example, is another place people can go if Planned Parenthood is not there or has more limited resources.”
The Pregnancy Resource Center is a privately-run center that provides free testing, ultrasounds and family planning classes.
Planned Parenthood charges for some of its services on a sliding scale based on income.
Pregnancy Resource Center CEO Dave Bluey said that in some cases, Planned Parenthood will refer patients to the center who need its free services.
“Women and families that come here can access any of our services for free and even earn points attending some of the informative classes, and they can turn those in for anything from a crib to diapers,” Bluey said.
Unlike Planned Parenthood, the PRC does not support or perform abortions, though Bluey said women’s wishes are respected no matter what option they choose with their pregnancy.
A version of this article appeared in the Mar 3 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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Unfortunately, we have come to see many government services as rights. It's also unfortunate that one more community resource is being taken in a time where so many people find themselves in need. However, if our country is to sustain itself, we need to stop running our government in a deficit. Erego, we get rid of government services and start to use our funds to support members in the community who need help ourselves.
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Have an STD? There are over 70 million people at Hdating.net the same as you. It's common to feel guilty or ashamed when you are diagnosed with H+. You may feel that your sex life is ruined or that someone you thought you could trust has hurt you. You may feel sad or upset. Keep in mind that you are one of millions of people who have it. You're Not Alone.
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I was always uncomfortable with the federal government paying to help eradicate the poor. Then there was the whole implicit notion that women aren't smart enough to avoid a pregnancy. I thought that was insulting.
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Time to step up and take responsibility for yourselves ladies and gentlemen. It's 2011. It's not like we don't know where babies come from. They've been telling you in public school since 5th grade! Take responsibility for your own life and quit relying on the government and your neighbor to pay for it for you. I managed not to get an STD and to have my child born AFTER saying "I do" so it must still be possible, even in this day and age. Why should I have to pay for your poor decisions?
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“Students can be active by going on to the Planned Parenthood website and there are just a plethora of petitions to be signed,” McFarland said.
They can also take our their own checkbooks (or maybe mommy and daddy's checkbook...) and give their own money of their own accord to Planned Parenthood, rather than relying on government extortion from my paycheck to support them. Theft is theft, even if you're asking the government to do it. If you think Planned Parenthood needs more money - GIVE.THEM.YOURS. Quit stealing mine.
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Are you slow? You assume that all young women, much less their families can afford birth control? I suppose it was also government extortion from my paycheck that paid for two trillion dollar wars in the past decade, right? This program could be comfortably funded for 10,000 years - roughly twice the aggregate length of human civilization thus far - for what these wars cost in 10 years. You are right though, killing brown people is WAY more important that providing services to your own citizens.
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Yes, because protecting America from jihading terrorists is totally equivalent to paying for those who get themselves knocked up or don't know how to say no. How about not having sex if you can't afford the risk of popping out a baby. And before I'm accused of being a bigot, I do live in a reality where people get raped or sexually abused and I understand those people should benefit from programs like this. However, a college student who has everything paid for by mommy & daddy but are legally allowed to take advantage of the system to get birth control without their parent's knowledge/insurance is of far greater prevalence and I'm not okay with subsidizing that.
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“Students can be active by going on to the Planned Parenthood website and there are just a plethora of petitions to be signed,” McFarland said.
They can also take our their own checkbooks (or maybe mommy and daddy's checkbook...) and give their own money of their own accord to Planned Parenthood, rather than relying on government extortion from my paycheck to support them. Theft is theft, even if you're asking the government to do it. If you think Planned Parenthood needs more money - GIVE.THEM.YOURS. Quit stealing mine.
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Yes, welcome to modern life in America.
Where women's bodies, women's ability and choice to reproduce are not hers.
They are the realm of aging white men (who cheat on their wives) and make back room
deals to repress her choice to care for her body.
Welcome to the Bible Freak Show that brings the babies into the world of obese
parents who have absolutely no parenting skills (PPH teaches those!); and into
homes that don't want them, cozy abodes of violence, sexual abuse, verbal abuse,
physical abuse - (PPH teaches young people the correct ways to deal with the stress
of parenting and is a vital resource for many confused young parents). Remember for every"good" home that teaches people to respect their bodies and the people around
them, there are four times as many where children are essentially left alone, no proper
care; children who in turn get pregnant at an early age and continue the cycle.
PPH doesn't exist to recruit women into their procedure rooms for an easy abortion.
(Despite the lies the opposition will tell you).
PPH ACTUALLY exists to inform women of EVERY option T guide them to raise a healthy, happy, baby. BUT, this being a democracy, it also levels the field + IF a woman for HER OWN REASONS determines she is not able to continue the pregnancy she deserves the RIGHT TO CHOOSE FOR HERSELF. PERIOD.
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Pregnancy Resource Center is not a reasonable alternative to Planned Parenthood.
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The Pregnancy Resource Center states that it doesn't do or refer for abortions. Other than that they let women truly choose between their alternatives. I have went to Planned Parenthood in Blacksburg and was almost encouraged to abort. Parenting was off limits to a poor but upwardly mobile student. I also put out the challenge to anyone who went to PP and had their staff even mention the word adoption. They gain financially from abortions. That is a genuine argument against them being unbiased and truly for choice. They are in complete denial that abortion can cause a woman to feel guilty, remorseful or stessed out post abortion. Why should she feel anything negative afterwards because in their eyes she has done the only right and rational thing given the circumstances. At least admit that there is a living being in the womanm's womb. I truly believe that PP has a problem with the PRC because they are losing business by womnen choosing to mother their child or blessing someone else with a child Opps I used the blessing word. That might be interpreted as me being one of those awful,bigoted God believers.
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Pregnancy Resource Center makes it their business to lure in young women who are looking for Planned Parenthood. They locate their offices as close as possible to a Planned Parenthood location. I consider this practice deceiving.
Planned Parenthood offers much more than abortion counseling, and Pregnancy Resource Centers will never be a reasonable alternative.
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B'burg resident no doubt works for or totally supports PP. Why is this person so concerned about competition from the PRC? Deception is in the eye of the beholder. Deception is what is being perpetrated by the PP and NARAL crowd. They say they are pro-choice but in reality they are pro-abortion. See the link, imnotsorry.net for proof of their real opinions towards abortion, parenting and adoption. the web site, imnotsorry.net is associated with PP. The more they promote abortion the more $$$ they bring in to their coffers. The only bad aspect of PP losing their federal funding is they would ramp up their lucrative abortion business to make up the difference.
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Anonymous @ 10:18... And what if I were PRO-ABORTION? Does that make my opinion about the disparity between what Planned Parenthood and Pregnancy Resource Center offers any less true? NO!
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This is absolutely ridiculous and shows that the GOP lawmakers do not have any interest in reducing the budget deficit. Family planning and access to affordable birth control is possibly one of the easiest, cheapest and biggest boons to public health that any developed country can offer to it's citizens. Each time a low income woman becomes pregnant with an unplanned child, not only is the taxpayer responsible for her health care in the near future, but they are responsible for the health care of the baby as well. Furthermore, a woman who goes through unplanned pregnancy at an early age is less likely to complete a college degree and more likely to require medicaid assistance during her life (citation: http://www.brookings.edu/papers/2008/07_reducing_pregnancy_kearney.aspx). Since rising non-discretionary health care costs are a huge part of the federal budget deficit, how does cutting family planning services translate into cost savings? It is the very definition of a non-sequitur. Many women can't afford birth control out of pocket. I know that I couldn't on my salary. The pills can be as much as $75 a month depending on what type you need; as much as my electricity and cell phone bills combined!
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