What’s the issue? I’ve read several thorough and enlightening accounts that explain why the Republicans’ latest stab at replacing the Affordable Care Act (officially called the American Health Care Act or AHCA) will result in more people without health insurance, higher premiums, and disproportionate burden for the elderly and the poor. Those are all extremely important issues, but today I want to focus on a smaller part of the new health care bill, defunding Planned Parenthood.
Section 103 of the AHCA states that “no Federal funds…may be made available to a State for payments to a prohibited entity.” It then goes on to define a “prohibited entity” as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that “is an essential community provider… primarily engaged in family planning services, reproductive health, and related medical care; and provides for abortions.” In layman’s speak, Planned Parenthood would no longer be able to receive federal money.
Why do I care? Okay, let me get this out of the way up front: Planned Parenthood receives NO federal funding for elective abortion services (and never has).* I promise a future spotlight on why access to safe abortion is such an important thing, but let’s set that aside for now. Rest assured that your tax dollars are paying for zero elective Planned Parenthood abortions.
So, why does Planned Parenthood receive federal money? Planned Parenthood plays a major role in sexual health care in the United States. Every year, 2.5 million women and men in the United States receive routine health services at Planned Parenthood. STI testing and treatment, cancer screening and prevention, and contraception make up 85% of those services. Of Planned Parenthood’s clients, many are low-income. In fact, half qualify for Medicaid. And that’s where the federal funding comes in- Planned Parenthood’s clients, Americans who freely chose to seek services at Planned Parenthood, pay for those services with their health insurance, which happens to be Medicaid, which is funded (in part) by the Federal Government.
Planned Parenthood also receives some federal funding that would be cut through Title X, the US government’s only program that focuses specifically on access to family planning for those who could not otherwise afford it. Planned Parenthood serves about 1.5 million people annually through its partnership with Title X. Title X funds cannot be used for abortion.
According it its most recent annual report, Planned Parenthood receives 43% of its funding from the federal government. It’s hard to say what would exactly would happen if Planned Parenthood stopped receiving federal funding, but a study of what happened in Texas after Planned Parenthood was defunded there in 2011 points to some answers. The Planned Parenthood clinics that were forced to close as a result of the defunding served 60% of Texas’s lowest-income women, and these closures reduced the number of low-income women who received the most effective methods of contraception and increased the rate of births covered by Medicaid. Paul Ryan says this gap in care will be covered by community health centers, but these same centers say they do not have the capacity to absorb the needs that would be left by Planned Parenthood.
So, completely outside of the abortion debate, the AHCA intentionally prohibits Americans on Medicaid from receiving cancer screenings, pap smears, pregnancy tests, and more at Planned Parenthood, many of whom may have nowhere else to access this care. Of course, those affected are largely poor and largely women. Angry yet?
*Planned Parenthood can receive Medicaid funding for abortions in the case of rape, incest, or to protect the life of the mother.
What to do if you care too:
- Of course you can donate to Planned Parenthood. I give to them every year. Planned Parenthood’s website gives the the option to donate once, make a monthly donation, or donate to a specific Planned Parenthood (like the one nearest you!).
- Call or write your Congresspeople and tell them you oppose defunding Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood even has a tool that will connect you to your Representative and provides a sample script. Don’t forget to call your Senators too!
- Live somewhere without Congressional representation or just love calling? Call Paul Ryan and tell him you oppose defunding Planned Parenthood.
- Share why you support Planned Parenthood. Through this form you can share your story with Planned Parenthood. Do you support the work they do? Have you benefitted from their services? If you tell your story, they can use it to help show why their services matter.
- Sign-up to volunteer for Planned Parenthood (this includes both at a local level and nationally).
- Become a Planned Parenthood Defender. If you sign-up to be a defender, Planned Parenthood will ask you to help with whatever they need most at the moment- maybe they’ll ask you to call to Congress, attend a rally, or host an event with your friends.
- Stay informed. Text “STAND” to 22422 to receive updates from the Planned Parenthood Mobile Action Network.
Further reading:
- Read and watch these personal stories from women and men who have benefitted from Planned Parenthood’s services.
- The Economic Case for Funding Planned Parenthood from the Atlantic explains why it makes financial sense for the government to fund Planned Parenthood.
Persistence 
For me, opposition to Planned Parenthood signifies the massive cultural chasm more than any other issue. I understand but disagree with opposition to safe, legal abortion but to oppose abortion AND Planned Parenthood just doesn’t make a lick of sense. If PP loses funding, the birth rate goes up. The teenage birth rate goes up. The demand for abortion goes up. Sexually transmitted disease rates go up. WTF? Who wants this?
In the big picture, I see this as a continuation of historic aversion to women’s sexuality. In dark moments, I wonder if those who want to shut down PP are planning wars that require large numbers of poor men and women to sign up for the military.
For 13 years I worked in a primary health clinic that was so intertwined with Planned Parenthood’s clinic that we shared the laboratory and shared patient bathrooms. That’s close! Day after day our waiting room was full of young people waiting to be seen. Women walked from Planned Parenthood to our reception desk when they’d had an exam for a breast lump, when they needed colposcopy for pre-cancerous cervical changes. I read that the folks wanting to shut off funding for Planned Parenthood think the Federally Funded Health Centers will take care of all those shut out by the shut off. No way. The clinic where I worked was one of these federal community health centers. No way could we have expanded to serve all of PP’s patients.
And then there’s the issue of trust. The deep distrust of those who distrust PP is matched by the trust of all those who receive their services. Especially the teenagers.
Blood pressure rising. Anger rising.
Thanks for writing this blog Sarah!
Sarita
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