Late last week, the House voted to eliminate Title X program funding, which will block federal funding to Planned Parenthood and other health clinics. There are other amendments on the table as well, such as the Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) sponsored amendment that will simply halt all funding to Planned Parenthood. Pence, who has been waging war on Planned Parenthood for a long time, along with other supporters of the amendment, would like you to believe that this new legislation will help stop abortions — i.e. the legislation may appeal to individuals who are anti-abortion. However, in reality, Title X provides funds for family planning and preventative care, not funds for pregnancy termination, so cutting Title X does nothing but cut family planning funds.
These amendments clearly show that the GOP-controlled House is not on board with women being in charge of when or if they have children. This also shows that our government doesn’t really care about the five million U.S. citizens who annually receive health care via Title X funding. Keep reading to learn more about the Title X issue and to learn how you can help support Planned Parenthood and family planning.
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Photo © Flickr user Fibonacci Blue
Who benefits from Title X funds?: 2008 statistics show that approximately five million women and men annually receive health care services from Title X funded clinics, including community-based clinics, state and local health departments, tribal organizations, hospitals, university health centers, independent clinics, community health centers, faith-based organizations, and other public and private nonprofit agencies.
What do Title X funds pay for?: Preventive health services and family planning services such as patient education and counseling; breast and pelvic examinations; breast and cervical cancer screening; sexually transmitted disease (STD) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevention education, counseling, testing and referral; and pregnancy diagnosis and counseling, among other things.
Title X funds DO NOT pay for abortions: The Hyde Amendment, enacted in 1977, says that federal funding, i.e. such as Title X funds, may not be used to pay for abortions except for in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother. Also, by law, zero Title X funds are allowed for use in programs where abortion is considered a method of family planning.
This is awful that it’s even up for consideration. I hope it gets shot down.