House Republicans Aim To Strip Planned Parenthood’s Funding

The California State Senate will vote on a bill that would mandate all University of Calif
BSIP/UIG Via Getty Images
Dr. Susan Berry

House Republicans released a budget proposal this week that would eliminate Title X funding — which provides funding to Planned Parenthood for contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs — an act pro-abortion advocates immediately characterized as an attack against women.

The House Appropriations Committee’s draft of its fiscal year 2016 Labor, Health and Human Services (LHHS) funding bill “eliminates all funding for the controversial Family Planning Program, saving taxpayers nearly $300 million.” The bill would also substantially cut so-called “comprehensive teen pregnancy prevention programs,” but double funding for abstinence-centered or Sexual Risk Avoidance (SRA) programs.

The National Abstinence Education Association (NAEA) found that the SRA approach is effective, supported by both parents and an increasing number of teens, and consistent with other public health initiatives for teens such as anti-smoking, anti-drinking, anti-drug, and anti-violence programs that have also been effective.

“Largely misrepresented, SRA education is more than just about saying ‘no,’” says NAEA. “Abstinence-centered and holistic, the SRA strategy offers skill-building topics such as goal setting and future orientation, healthy decision making, building assets, avoiding negative peer pressure, and human development.”

The sexual risk reduction (SRR) model, however, NAEA states, “is built on the premise that teens either cannot, or will not, abstain from sex; therefore they must learn to take ‘precautions’ that will decrease their risk of becoming pregnant,” or becoming infected with an STD.

The American College of Pediatricians strongly endorses abstinence-centered sex education and recommends school systems adopt abstinence programs instead of “comprehensive sex education,” or SRRs. “Programs that teach sexual abstinence until marriage are about much more than simply delaying sexual activity,” the College asserts. “They assist adolescents in establishing positive character traits, formulating long-term goals, and developing emotionally healthy relationships.”

The College adds that abstinence-centered programs also increase the likelihood of strong marriages and solid families which, it says, represent “the single most essential resource for the strength and survival of our nation.” The House voted to defund Planned Parenthood in 2011, but the measure failed to get any traction in the then-Democrat controlled Senate.

In addition to receiving taxpayer funds to provide women with birth control and abortion-inducing drugs, Planned Parenthood was recently found by the Government Accountability Office to also use taxpayer funding to promote abortion as “reproductive health care.”

In fiscal year 2013-2014, Planned Parenthood received more than $528 million in taxpayer funding – more than $1.4 million per day – in the form of government grants, contracts, and Medicaid reimbursements. Taxpayer funding accounts for 41 percent of the organization’s overall revenue. In 2013, 94 percent of Planned Parenthood’s “pregnancy services” were abortions, and 5 percent were prenatal care and adoption referrals.

For every adoption referral, the abortion industry giant performed 174 abortions. In the last fiscal year, Planned Parenthood reported more than $127 million in excess revenue and more than $1.4 billion in net assets.

In a statement sent to Breitbart News, Lila Rose, president of pro-life organization Live Action, said, “The proposed budget that cuts Title X funding is a welcome reform to those who do not want their tax dollars going toward killing preborn children and underwriting the abortion industry.”

“These funds directly pay for abortifacient drugs, fund mega abortion groups like Planned Parenthood and make it possible for abortion giants to promote pro abortion legislators and their anti-life agenda,” she added. “We urge the House to defend the lives and basic human rights of society’s most vulnerable and cut funding to Title X.”

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.