Speaker of the House Paul Ryan announced Thursday that defunding Planned Parenthood is part of the Republican agenda to dismantle Obamacare.
Their position: because Planned Parenthood provides abortions, they plan to zero out all federal funding for the organization. This stance appeals to many pro-life, conservative voters and has given the GOP traction for this issue. But what the GOP is not telling supporters is that the Hyde Amendment, established in 2013, makes it so “federal funds cannot be used for abortion services, and plans receiving federal funds must keep them segregated from any funds for abortion services.”
However, there are voters who know about the Amendment and still wish to defund Planned Parenthood because they do not want their taxpayer dollars going to an organization affiliated with abortions. They suggest re-allocating the federal money to community health centers that provide comprehensive health care.
While this may seem like a viable solution for many voters, it is not necessarily a practical one.
Re-allocation of funds takes time. Legislators would have to research health centers across the country in order to find places that provide comprehensive services.
The largest source of funding for Planned Parenthood comes from the Government. With this funding, the organization is able to pay for cancer screenings, annual exams, family planning, sex education, and birth control. By being the largest provider of birth control, the organization is also the largest preventer of abortions.
In addition, many hospitals that perform abortions also receive federal reimbursement for visits, treatments, and procedures unaffiliated with abortions, like Planned Parenthood. If the GOP plans to defund Planned Parenthood based off of this reasoning, wouldn’t they have to defund hospitals as well?
Even Paul Ryan’s tweet Saturday morning was a bit misleading. “Everything #Obamacare has kept from you—more choices, control, and freedom—we want to put them back in your hands.” Defunding Planned Parenthood would not give women more freedom, control or choices regarding their health. Frankly it would do the opposite: severely decrease access to basic women’s health.
