Regardless of your position on the “A” Word (abortion, that is), collegiettes™ across the country are speaking out for the popular organization Planned Parenthood. As part of a massive plan to strip approximately 60 billion dollars from the budget, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to end federal funding for the organization largely at the vote of the Republican Party. Congressmen Mike Pence led the charge on eliminating the Title X budget, stating that he believes it is morally wrong to “take the taxpayer dollars of millions of pro-life Americans and use them to fund organizations that provide and promote abortion-like Planned Parenthood of America.”
The problem lies in the fact that the federal budget actually does not fund most abortions performed by Planned Parenthood, and hasn’t since the 1970’s. In reality, government spending covers only 3% of funding for the operations. The other 97% of taxpayer money is spent on sexual health care and family planning at any of the organization’s 800 facilities nationwide. The program provides cancer screenings, contraception, STI testing and treatment, and family planning strategies among the myriad of other services available at an affordable price to any woman who seeks it.
Without aid from the federal budget, many facilities across the country will be forced to close their doors and many women will be left without the reproductive health care that is so desperately needed. One in five Americans seek help through Planned Parenthood, and not surprisingly, most of the care sought is preventative. Stripping Title X of funding for the organization is essentially stripping the United States of treatments, exams, and screenings that save millions of lives each year. Planned Parenthood’s homepage cites this cut as the “most dangerous assault on women’s healthcare” in their entire 95-year history as an organization.
Sophomore Kelly Bragg calls the budget cut ridiculous, “This is an attack on a woman’s right to her own body and a complete waste of taxpayer money and time, I don’t think it will be passed in the Senate.” Kelly also mentioned hopes to attend a rally in Washington D.C but unfortunately could not because of other plans.
Elyssa Miller, freshman, agreed and added, “I think it makes the government a lot less credible to try to take away funding for something it claims to want to improve. Being able to save lives is a lot more important than being able to fund something like military science and defense spending. If you really want to get into the concept of abortion, I would much rather see women receive care from an accredited organization than do something dangerous to their bodies.”
When asked about what this would mean for college students Elyssa responded, “I don’t know about JMU specifically because we have such a great health center, but across America I think this would damage the ability of college girls to have access to necessary care. Affordable and effective is what college is all about.”
Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood of America, issued a response to the house vote including rebuttals to accusations of unscrupulous behavior behind the clinic’s closed doors, emphasizing that one employee had been suspended and new training programs had been implemented. She stressed the impact that cutting the budget would have on the ability for the organization to provide quality care for patients, and mentioned that many health care professionals would be left unemployed. Ms. Richards insisted that the loss of funding would have no impact on the deficit or improve the economy in anyway. In conclusion she urged the Senate to protect the community-based organization and those who depend on it.
Lucky for Ms. Richards, the democratic controlled senate has stated that they will not support anything close to the budget cuts set by the house, including the cuts to funding for Planned Parenthood. In addition, the white house has threatened to veto the bill. Both legislatures have warned that this stand-off could potentially cause a shutdown of federal government at some point next month.
As any savvy collegiette™ knows, social media is the optimal resource for getting an idea or opinion out to the rest of the world. Planned Parenthood has taken full advantage of this resource and launched a massive Internet campaign, “I stand with Planned Parenthood.” Multiple congresswomen, organizations, and thousands of dedicated supporters back the campaign that aims to send a powerful message to Congress: we will not be silenced.
With over 200,000 positive responses on one Facebook support page alone, it becomes clear that Planned Parenthood is a vital part of healthcare for women across the nation that will not be taken away without a fight. If you are interested in standing with Planned Parenthood, please visit http://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/ for the chance to raise your voice.