Sponsored by: Senator David Vitter (R-LA)
Summary: S 85 would prohibit any health care organization that receives federal family planning funds from Title X (ten) from receiving such funds if the organization provides, advocates for, or even refers for abortion services with their own funds. Currently, more than 4,500 reproductive health care clinics receive Title X funds to help provide more than 5 million low-income women with comprehensive, preventive, and affordable services such as well-woman exams, contraception, STI testing and treatment, and pregnancy testing and counseling. These services, in turn, help prevent more than 1 million unintended pregnancies and more than 500,000 abortions a year. By law, no Title X funds are used to provide abortions. However, this bill would unconstitutionally restrict a women's access to abortion by "gagging" doctors and clinic staff from referring a patient for abortion services or even mention abortion as an option during pregnancy counseling.
S 85 would prohibit any health care organization that receives federal family planning funds from Title X (ten) from receiving such funds if the organization provides, advocates for, or even refers for abortion services with their own funds.
Currently, more than 4,500 reproductive health care clinics receive Title X funds to help provide more than 5 million low-income women with comprehensive, preventive, and affordable services such as well-woman exams, contraception, STI testing and treatment, and pregnancy testing and counseling. These services, in turn, help prevent more than 1 million unintended pregnancies and more than 500,000 abortions a year. By law, no Title X funds are used to provide abortions.
However, this bill would unconstitutionally restrict a women's access to abortion by "gagging" doctors and clinic staff from referring a patient for abortion services or even mention abortion as an option during pregnancy counseling.
PPNT Position: Opposes. This legislation will do nothing to improve the lives of American women and families. This legislation is in direct conflict with one of Title X's core tenets – providing a woman facing an unintended pregnancy with non-directive counseling and information on all of her legal pregnancy options, including abortion. Thus, by following the guidelines set out in the original law authorizing Title X, family planning providers would lose vital federal funding. Defunding family planning providers does not reduce abortions – it only creates a burden for the millions of low-income women who relying on preventive medical services to improve or maintain their health. If comprehensive family planning clinics were forced to forfeit Title X funding, many would be have to shorten clinic hours, reduce the number of patients that can be seen, or close its doors for good. If Senator Vitter truly wants to reduce the number of abortions in the U.S., he should be working with Planned Parenthood to pass The Prevention First Act of 2009 (S 21), a bill that would help more women access affordable contraception and other basic health care services that would prevent an unintended pregnancy in the first place (and thus, reduce the need for abortion).
Opposes. This legislation will do nothing to improve the lives of American women and families. This legislation is in direct conflict with one of Title X's core tenets – providing a woman facing an unintended pregnancy with non-directive counseling and information on all of her legal pregnancy options, including abortion. Thus, by following the guidelines set out in the original law authorizing Title X, family planning providers would lose vital federal funding.
Defunding family planning providers does not reduce abortions – it only creates a burden for the millions of low-income women who relying on preventive medical services to improve or maintain their health. If comprehensive family planning clinics were forced to forfeit Title X funding, many would be have to shorten clinic hours, reduce the number of patients that can be seen, or close its doors for good.
If Senator Vitter truly wants to reduce the number of abortions in the U.S., he should be working with Planned Parenthood to pass The Prevention First Act of 2009 (S 21), a bill that would help more women access affordable contraception and other basic health care services that would prevent an unintended pregnancy in the first place (and thus, reduce the need for abortion).
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