As of March 30th, 2017, Senate voted to allow states to defund Planned Parenthood as they see fit. The Senate was split 50/50, with Vice President Mike Pence, breaking the tie. The rule was one of the last hurrah’s of the Obama administration, which prohibited states from denying federal money to be funneled to planned parenthood. “It requires that state and local governments distribute federal funds for services related to contraception, sexually transmitted infections, fertility, pregnancy care, and breast and cervical cancer screening to qualified health providers, regardless of whether they also perform abortions.” This has been a talking point for Republicans for quite some time- having hold of congress, this was their chance to make that change. The Congressional Review Act of 1996 allows congress to overturn regulatory rules within a prescribed time frame. “The Congressional Review Act of 1996 established expedited (or “fast track”) procedures by which Congress may disapprove a broad range of regulatory rules issued by federal agencies by enacting a joint resolution of disapproval.” This has been a tactic to turn around Obama's policies in an expedited way and has been used by past congresses, however it is not often executed successfully.
The opposition to Planned Parenthood has been focused on the clinics that also include abortion services. There is an attempt to support the health-related services, but not the abortion piece, unfortunately this is an important service they provide, and is a part of their structure and mission.
The vote that took place on March 30th, is intended to allow states more freedom of choice and discretion with this funding, “Today, Congress is sending a resolution to President Trump ensuring that states are not forced to fund America’s abortion giant, Planned Parenthood, with Title X tax dollars,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, a prominent anti-abortion group.
Now, Planned Parenthood receives reimbursement for services from programs such as Medicaid and Title X for the most part. Title X (Title 10) is a family planning program that has been active since 1970. Title X focuses on preventative care, and in 2015, the program provided 800,000 pap smear tests, 1 million breast exams, and 6 million STD tests. Aside from this, the program helps provide affordable birth control, and help alleviate the burden of unplanned pregnancies on society. It is melodramatic and non factual to refer to Planned Parenthood funded by Title X, as an “abortion giant”.
What this boils down to, is the lack of priority regarding preventative care, and little interest in preventing unplanned pregnancies. According to 2016 Guttmacher Institute research, “In 2010, at least 36% of pregnancies in every U.S. state were unintended. In 28 states and the District of Columbia, more than half of pregnancies were unintended.” On average, unintended pregnancies cost the US public, $21 billion a year. Much of this is due to the fact that a large demographic of women having unplanned pregnancies, are low-income. This is the demographic Planned Parenthood mainly serves and reaches. The Guttmacher study also projected that if it were not for publicly funded family planning services, that yearly cost would be approximately, 75% higher. This congressional decision is directly affects an already vulnerable population, and is slicing down on affordable and essential health care options.
Unintended pregnancies are higher in America than other adjacent developed countries. There has been a constant societal and political push-back to family planning, birth control access, abortion services as well as affordable health care. This goes far beyond being a social service, affordable family planning services are an integral part of addressing a significant and pressing public health issue.
