Congress Cuts Family Planning
For Immediate Release: Jan. 30, 2014
Planned Parenthood Denounces Congress' Cuts To Family Planning Services for the Poor
WASHINGTON, DC — Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) denounced Congress' spending-cut package passed yesterday that would allow states to drop their Medicaid coverage of contraception and family planning programs. The bill still has to clear one more minor hurdle in the House.
"All Americans should be afforded the ability to plan our families, and by allowing states to deny access to family planning services, Congress has turned its back on the 51 million Americans who rely on Medicaid for vital health services," said PPFA Interim President Karen Pearl. "As a result of these cuts, the number of unintended pregnancies in this country will surely rise."
What's most amazing is that Congress passed this bill mere days after the release of a National Center for Health Statistics survey that reported a rise in unwanted pregnancies. U.S. women of childbearing age who were surveyed in 2002 revealed that 14 percent of their recent births were originally unwanted, compared to only 9 percent in a similar 1995 survey. These statistics point to an already significant decline in family planning access in this country.
"Low-income families in this country would be better off if more members of Congress were willing to stand up for access to health care, as Senator Hillary Clinton (D - NY) did this week," said Pearl. "Planned Parenthood applauds Sen. Clinton for criticizing this attack on services on the Senate floor and encourages all representatives to work to fix this injustice. Despite these cuts, Planned Parenthood will continue to provide high quality, low cost health services to the millions who depend on us."