Serving the University of Toledo community since 1919.

Editorial: Don’t defund Planned Parenthood

Senate Bill 214 aims to take away funding for any organization that provides or promotes non-therapeutic abortions

IC Editorial Board

image_pdfimage_print

For years now, Planned Parenthood has battled to keep its federal funding amid the nationwide abortion and reproductive rights debate. Last week the Ohio State Senate passed Senate Bill 214, which would effectively defund Planned Parenthood. The bill’s legal phrasing would actually defund not only Planned Parenthood, but all organizations who perform or promote “non-therapeutic” abortions — abortions that are performed when a mother’s life is not in danger or when the pregnancy was not caused by reported cases of rape or incest.

The editorial board believes this bill — as well as all other attempts to defund Planned Parenthood — deprive Ohio residents of a vital resource for both men and women. Despite the angle from which this issue is being approached politically, our concern is not on abortion services, but on the other resources that are being defunded as collateral damage in the fight to end abortion.

Currently, Planned Parenthood does not receive any funding that goes towards abortions (which make up only 2 percent of its services) and cannot provide any financial assistance to patients with abortions. The government has already taken all money out of abortion services at Planned Parenthood, and whether the bill passes or fails, the number of abortions that happen there will not change. The only place this bill would be taking money from would be the many other health services that are performed at the same clinic as abortions.

Planned Parenthood assists both women and men with services including: family planning, birth control, STI/HIV screening and treatment, cervical cancer and vasectomies. Just as importantly, they provide a safe space for those who may be uninformed about their options or in need of advice during a challenging time in their life. While some of the over 50,000 people a year that Planned Parenthood serves will be able to go elsewhere, there are others who will be left without help on crucial issues like like family planning, STI/HIV testing and treatment, cancer screenings and emergency contraception.

A large number of the patients helped by access to services like these are those of low socio-economic status. According to the Planned Parenthood website, 79 percent of their patients are at or below the poverty line.

What sets Planned Parenthood apart as a crucial institution for these families is that it has payment plans subsidizing the cost of services on income and family size, all done on an individual basis. They also do not turn people away and deny service if a patient is unable to pay. This is very important for people who are struggling economically but still need reproductive health care.

To us, the heart of this issue is the long-reaching negative impacts this bill will have on the health and welfare of Ohioans. If Planned Parenthood is defunded in Ohio, many of their clinics will close or be forced to set fixed rates on certain services, taking away part of what makes them so accessible to people of all incomes and backgrounds.

To say that people may not be able to receive reproductive health care and family planning services because they cannot afford it, or because a Planned Parenthood clinic is the only place offering those services within a reasonable distance, is bigger than just the question of abortion. It sends the message to Ohioans that lawmakers are willing to pass unfavorable legislation regardless of the costly effects that it will cause patients.

Print Friendly

Leave a Comment