This article is based off a news article I read a couple weeks ago. And though the story is old now, it is still a very relevant message to today. Here is a link to the article that this is based off:
http://newsok.com/rushed-efforts-to-defund-planned...
There have been several attempts to defund Planned Parenthood in the recent weeks, with Iowa being a state that is currently trying to pass legislation to allow that. This new bill claims that Planned Parenthood will no longer be able to receive funding in the form of Medicaid in the state of Iowa while the organization still provides abortion services. While being a very minor part of the many family planning services that the organization provides, it is a staple that many people are able to rely on. The bill would allow Planned Parenthood to receive funding again as a regular healthcare clinic, if they would give up their abortion services, even though it is not currently funded by Medicaid anyway. To go with these changes, the state would also put in several changes to the funding of family planning at rural clinics, but no details have been released about it yet. Representatives say that these new plans will allow more clinics to provide family planning services, but clinics have stated they have not been told how or what will happen.
Iowa Department of Human Services spokeswoman Amy McCoy stated that the legislation would need to be passed before any details would be released to the public. DHS released a list of clinics that would be affected, but several claimed they did not have the resources to accommodate the influx of new patients. Many clinics say they do not have experts in the fields of family planning or women’s health. Planned Parenthood does not plan to close if the bill is passed, but they are afraid that many women who come to them for service will not be able to use them now that Medicaid will no longer reimburse them. Reports also say that money will be cut, going from an unlimited reimbursement under the Federal plan, to a cap of $3.3 million. Many smaller clinics fear that this will only cause more delay for them in providing healthcare, especially in low-income areas.
Planned Parenthood is a staple in this country that has provided plenty of work and effort into educating people about sexual health, and providing much needed healthcare to women. Many people always think of Planned Parenthood as the abortion clinic, but when looking at the numbers, this just doesn’t make sense. Abortions account for less than 5% of what they do, while a majority is general healthcare for women and men, and education. The organization has always been on the side of promoting sexual safety and conscientiousness. They would much rather someone be practicing safe sex, than having to resort to their abortion services. All that defunding it does is put more women at risk, and make it that much harder for them to get access to procedures such as pap smears or STI testing.
The fact that the state is trying to pass legislation that it won’t even release the details of is crazy. Healthcare in the US has been up in the air ever since the new administration's plans for repealing the ACA started. None of the general public have any idea on what is going to happen, while their healthcare is taken out right from under them. All we know is that there will be severe cuts to funding, and many people are going to lose their healthcare outright. People in Iowa will have to deal with more crowded clinics that will have both less time and less funding in order to provide proper care. Whether a person agrees with abortion or not, is it worth it to take away a large group of people’s ability to receive proper care?
