Texas Wants Federal Support to 'Defund' Planned Parenthood. It's Time for an Outcry.
By Cecile Richards | May 16, 2017, 5:59 p.m.
Category: Attacks on Planned Parenthood
Anti-abortion politicians in Texas dismantled reproductive health care access — and women paid the price. Now, the Trump administration could green-light this failed program.
For years, politicians in my home state of Texas have waged a political war on reproductive health, and the women of Texas have paid the ultimate price. Now, these politicians have cooked up a new, backdoor strategy to do even more to block patients from getting care at Planned Parenthood — and it could hurt people nationwide.
Women in Texas and across the country deserve better than to have politicians play games with their health and their lives.
What Texas is Trying to Do
The Texas Health and Human Services Department is requesting federal funding for a program that was specifically created to block access to care at Planned Parenthood – what they call the “Healthy Texas Women Program.” It sounds like a good thing, but make no mistake: This program has, by every measure, failed to fill the tremendous need for health care after the state cut off access to Planned Parenthood and other women’s health centers.
This program isn’t about improving women’s health care. In fact, it has already had catastrophic health consequences for Texas women:
- Since Texas politicians first began this anti-women’s health initiative, health centers across the state have shuttered — both Planned Parenthood and independent clinics — and women across Texas were left with nowhere to turn.
- The state’s own numbers show that nearly 30,000 fewer women received birth control, cancer screenings, and other care as a result.
The Potentially Disastrous Impact
Texas' backward politicians get their way, it would set a dangerous precedent for countless other states to follow. All they need is for their allies in the Trump Administration – including Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price – to give their anti-women’s health plan the green light.
Bottom line: It would be devastating for the women’s health in this country if the Trump administration paves the way for other states to follow Texas’ dangerous lead.
Take Action Now
Texas' efforts are a backdoor to the same Planned Parenthood “defund” that out-of-touch politicians are proposing in Congress. The only way we can stop them is by raising a national outcry.The facts could not be more clear — but not enough people know the dangers we face. Take a look at the shocking truth of what’s happened to Texas women in recent years, and share it far and wide:
Help spread the word on Facebook before every state suffers the same fate. Then get ready to stand up and be heard.
This fight is just beginning, and we’re going to need you and everyone who cares about women’s health and rights to stand with us.
Tags: Abortion, Texas, Greg Abbott, Donald Trump, Medicaid, Defund
