VA Governor Signs Bill to Restrict Abortion Clinics

Republican Governor Bob McDonnell signed a bill requiring that clinics that perform first trimester abortions meet the Board of Health regulations on hospitals, which are far more stringent than the regulations on physician’s offices. The Virginia Senate and House voted to pass the bill in February.

Tarina Keene, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia, stated, “This is a distressing day for the women of Virginia and their access to safe, affordable reproductive health care in the Commonwealth. Through a legally questionable and ethically indefensible political gimmick, Gov. McDonnell has pushed through legislation that may result in politically motivated regulations of first trimester abortion providers that have nothing to do with medicine and everything to do with the legislature and governor’s personal ideology.”

The new regulations may cause as many as 17 of the state’s 21 women’s health clinics that perform abortions and provide necessary women’s reproductive health services, such as STI testing, cancer screenings, and family planning, to shut down as a result of the cost to implement the required changes. These regulations will significantly and unnecessarily increase the cost of early abortions and will make it more difficult to get an abortion in Virginia. Reproductive rights groups, including the Feminist Majority, the National Organization for Women, and the American Civil Liberties Union oppose the law, which restricts women’s access to reproductive health services.

GOP turning off women voters

The Republican zeal for budget-cutting is masking a particularly insidious aspect of their zealotry, unrelated to deficit reduction — the GOP has declared war on women’s health, and heaven only knows why.

Overwhelming majorities of both women and men oppose these cuts, which will mean fewer cancer screenings, more unplanned pregnancies and more abortions while increasing government spending — hardly outcomes Republicans, or anyone else, really want to embrace. But the extreme, and now-dominant, wing of the GOP says it will brook no compromise.

House Republicans began by trying to defund Planned Parenthood, which is in fact a pretty popular organization. Despite being the subject of a dishonest demonization campaign, nearly 60 percent of voters view Planned Parenthood favorably, while only about a quarter harbor unfavorable views of the organization. It’s a strong brand — a lot more popular than, say, the Republican Party, which is viewed unfavorably by more voters than see it in a favorable light.

Planned Parenthood is well-regarded because it plays a vital role in delivering healthcare — over 90 percent of which is preventive. About a quarter of female voters have sought care at a Planned Parenthood health center.

Not content to stop with pillaging Planned Parenthood, Republicans voted to completely wipe out funding for family planning through Title X, zeroing out funds that provide 5 million women with pap smears, breast cancer tests, annual exams and treatment for STDs.

What happens if GOP extremists halt those cancer screenings, stop prevention of STDs and end affordable contraception? Republicans can’t believe defunding Planned Parenthood or Title X will put an end to cancer, or even to sex — it won’t. So the result will be more undetected cancers and more STDs, but also more unplanned pregnancies and more abortions.

Together, Title X and Planned Parenthood help prevent 1 million unwanted pregnancies a year, most of which would end in abortion. The social costs of the unwanted pregnancies carried to term would be enormous. The financial costs are clear. One study found that each dollar invested in family planning saves $3.74 in Medicaid costs later.

The choice is clear: Pay for family planning now, or pay much more later.

And since federal dollars cannot pay for abortions under current law, not one abortion would be stopped by defunding Planned Parenthood. But how much would the government save? Not a dime. In fact, switching all of Planned Parenthood’s clients to another provider would add nearly $300 million to the federal budget because Planned Parenthood is by far the most cost-effective in delivering those services.

If Republicans are increasing government spending and endangering women’s health, they must spy a political payoff, right? Quite the contrary — two different polls find majorities opposed to eliminating government funding for Planned Parenthood.
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National polling indicates some 70 percent of voters oppose ending family planning assistance more broadly. In Wisconsin, a survey we conducted found voters opposing an end to government funding for family planning by 65 percent to 28. Why? Because 38 percent believe it is at least very likely more women will die of cancer as a result. Because 43 percent believe it is at least very likely that there will be more unplanned pregnancies. Because 46 percent believe it is at least very likely that healthcare costs for the rest of us will increase. Because 56 percent believe it is at least very likely that fewer women will have access to preventive healthcare.

The Republican war on women’s health will increase, not reduce, government spending, while putting lives at risk.

President Clinton once famously opined that abortion should be “safe, legal and rare.” The Republican’s war on women’s health will make abortion unsafe, illegal and more common.

It’s time for thoughtful GOPers to call a truce before they do irreparable harm to women’s health and to themselves.

Attack on Planned Parenthood threatens women’s health

With deficit reduction as a pretext and abortion scapegoating as a goal, the U.S. House of Representatives wants to end funding for the nation’s family-planning program, Title X. A House-approved bill would prevent Planned Parenthood from getting money from any federal program, including Medicaid.

If this measure is enacted, it will have a devastating impact on women in the Toledo area. Planned Parenthood of Northwest Ohio is this area’s largest provider of reproductive health care for low- and moderate-income women. All of our services are preventive.

In our 11-county service area last year, we saw more than 5,000 patients who made over 10,000 visits. They got breast and annual examinations, life-saving cancer screenings, family-planning services, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.

The Title X program paid for nearly 7,000 low- and no-cost gynecological visits in our service region in 2010. Since its creation in 1970 during the Nixon administration, Title X has provided preventive health care to millions of vulnerable women. Each year, Title X prevents nearly 1 million unintended pregnancies and more than 400,000 abortions nationwide.

Sixty percent of women who go to Planned Parenthood and similar health centers report that this is their only source of health care, of any kind. Gutting Planned Parenthood will force more women to go untested and untreated. This will increase their risk of diseases, including cancer.

Nationally, Planned Parenthood has provided medical care and family planning services to women for 95 years. We’ve been in northwest Ohio for 75 years. One in five American women gets care from Planned Parenthood during her lifetime. We are an essential health-care provider, trusted by millions of women and families.

The women who use Title X services are those who need health care the most but cannot afford it. They have been hit hard by the housing crisis and recession. They are in crisis or living in poverty.

They are in transition between school and work, or between jobs. Or they have a job, but not insurance coverage.

I see these women every day; so do you. They are your relatives, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. Maybe you are one of them. Title X services provide a vital safety net for thousands of women in our community.

It’s hard to understand why opponents of abortion would do so much to undermine a program that helps prevent the need for it. Planned Parenthood does more than any other organization to provide family-planning education and services, including contraception, to avoid unintended pregnancy.

Family planning programs save taxpayers money. According to the Guttmacher Institute, every public dollar that is invested in family planning in Ohio saves taxpayers at least $4.13 in Medicaid costs associated with prenatal care, delivery, and postnatal care for an unintended pregnancy.

Cutting off funding for Title X will do nothing to reduce the federal deficit or improve the economy. To the contrary, health professionals will lose their jobs and women will lose vital services.

Tellingly, House leaders have not explained how the millions of American women served by Title X at Planned Parenthood and other centers will get the health care they need if this dangerous provision becomes law.

The House bill is bad policy, bad politics, and bad medicine for the health of America’s women and families. If it becomes law, 5 million American women will lose their only source of health care. Among them are 3 million women who come to Planned Parenthood, including nearly 100,000 Ohio women who visit our 35 centers around the state.

Senators of both parties must continue to reject this extreme and punitive legislation that harms women and families.