Culp-Ressler reports: "...a closer look at regional access to women's health services reveals the devastating effects of hampering Planned Parenthood's work."
Members of Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice America and more than 20 other organizations hold a rally in support of preventive healthcare and family planning services, including abortion. (photo: Reuters)
What Happens When You Defund Planned Parenthood
08 September 12
s anti-choice lawmakers attempt to strip state and federal funding for Planned Parenthood branches across the country, a closer look at regional access to women's health services reveals the devastating effects of hampering Planned Parenthood's work.
Mother Jones notes that one county in Tennessee provides a case study for what happens when conservative politicians successfully defund Planned Parenthood clinics. After officials in Shelby County, TN stripped funding for Planned Parenthood and awarded it to a conservative religious clinic instead, the services provided to local women dropped by a staggering 93 percent:
Local officials decided that instead of giving that Title X money to Planned Parenthood for health screenings, STD tests, and birth control, they'd instead give it to Christ Community Health Services, a religious organization that refuses to provide abortions or refer women to others who would provide them. The organization also does not offer emergency contraception, and is reportedly looking to expand to create more "crisis pregnancy clinics" that offer "counselors who can discuss adoption and other life-affirming options" with women.
But it turns out that Christ Community Health Services has not been nearly as efficient at using Title X funds to provide family planning services, reports the Memphis Flyer (via Women's Health News). Between July 2011 and June 2012, more than $500,000 of the $1.3 million grant the county received was not used at all. Hannah Sayle reports that Christ Community Health Services was averaging just 51 Title X visits per month in early 2012, compared to Planned Parenthood's 841 visits in August 2011.
As women's health advocates point out, case studies like these illustrate the consequences of diverting funding away from Planned Parenthood and expecting other health clinics to pick up the patient load. Some, like Christ Community Health Services, are certainly not equivalents to Planned Parenthood in terms of the family planning services they provide. Others, like the cash-strapped clinics across Texas that are being forced to close their doors, clearly don't have enough resources to carry on the work that local Planned Parenthood chapters typically do. Using Planned Parenthood as a symbol in the ongoing War on Women has serious, disastrous results for the low-income women who do not have other options when it comes to their reproductive health care.
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I DETEST all these holier than thou people who have hearts of STONE. Many of the "christian organizations with family in their name, are RELIGIOUS FANATICS and they are sick creeps. They only want control over women, at any cost
So is anybody surprised about this? We all knew it would happen, we warned against the all-out war on Planned Parenthood. Did anybody listen? NO, DAMMIT! The sick ba****ds whipping up all this anti-PP, anti-woman hatred won't be satisfied until every last woman in the country is subjugated to them. Like X Dane said, this is 100% about control, pure and simple.
VOTE THESE SLIMY SPECIMENS OUT IN NOVEMBER! There should not be a single representative of the Greedy Old Pigs left in Washington!
Lolanne, why is it that people continue to ask what Rmoney's going to do if elected? He's already told us in primary debates, the GOP convention, and each interview, the latest being this morning's Meet The Press softball interview. All of this questioning only allows him to change his positions (Etch-A-Sketch) . Rmoney has said he'll "get rid of" Planned Parenthood if elected president. What else do they need to know?
"Severe Conservative", Rmoney, has been oh so cagey about putting any of his plans on paper, but he has ACCEPTED Ryan's budget as “an outstanding plan.” And by selecting Ryan as his Veep, looks to me like he's bought into RYAN'S BUDGET. What else do they need to know?
Grover Norquist - whose "no new taxes" pledge was signed by 285 members of Congress (3 Dems) - has laid out the GOP plan: for the next 20 years, ALL legislation will come from Congress. All the president has to do is "have enough working digits to hold a pen" to sign that legislation into law. What else do they need to know?
Now, if they're concerned about such things as women's issues, education, the workplace, health, the environment, immigration, the economy, foreign policy, etc., look at Rmoney's comments, the RYAN BUDGET, and the REGRESSIVE GOP PLATFORM.
NOW, PLEASE TELL ME... WHAT ELSE DO THEY NEED TO KNOW???
The truly scary fact of this election, is not clear in many people's mind.
If Rmoney wins. The religious FANATICS AND THE OIL BARONS WILL BE IN CHARGE.
They are buying up politicians, and certainly will do ALL to BUY/STEAL The
White House.
If they succeed, we will have NO RECOURSE, for they will have ALLthe power, and there is not ENOUGH MONEY to get OUR voices heard, and that means that short of a revolutions they will stay in power INDEFINITELY.
THINK ABOUT THAT!!!
Can't bear to, X Dane - it gives me nightmares! What you wrote is actually happening, and it scares me to death. The question is, are there enough people who understand these things to prevent them from taking over?
Sure wish I knew...I'd sleep better.
Sure wish I had the answer to that, doneasley. Given all that comes out of Mitt the Twit's mouth, I cannot comprehend how ANYONE can still consider putting him in the White House. I can identify a couple of factors, though...
One is racism, pure and simple. There's a pretty significant group in the country (and not just in the south!) who just can't stomach the fact that a person of color is in a position of power. It's tragic, but sadly, true.
And the other is ignorance. I do believe the vast rank & file across the country just can't or won't go to the trouble of even trying to learn what's happening in politics. They sit around watching reality TV instead of reading or listening to candidates' speeches. Or they hang out at the local bar or go to the ball game instead of a political event in their neighborhood. Nothing wrong with any of those activities, of course, but if that's how people spend ALL their time, how do they ever become aware of ANYTHING, much less how to vote in their own best interests?
I do not know what the answer is, but I am plenty worried. I think all we can do is work as hard as possible to get out the Dem vote in overwhelming numbers, big enough that the pigs cannot steal the election.
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