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Kasich Poised to Sign a Bill That Would Block Access to Women’s Health Care Across Ohio


Washington, D.C. – John Kasich is poised to sign into law a bill targeting the essential health care that tens of thousands of Ohioans rely on — STD tests and HIV tests, a “Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies” program that served nearly 2,800 new or expectant mothers and newborns, and a program aimed at helping young victims of domestic violence.  

The final Ohio House vote — which could come as early as this Wednesday — would send the bill to Governor Kasich, who’s pledged to sign it over the objections of public health experts and the New York Times Editorial Board.

But what happened when Texas passed a bill targeting the lifesaving health care that Planned Parenthood health centers provide? The New England Journal of Medicine published a report on groundbreaking new research showing the devastating consequences for Texas women after  politicians blocked access to care at Planned Parenthood.

Media from across the country covered the devastating impact of Texas blocking access to care at Planned Parenthood — and the stakes for Ohioans if Kasich goes the way of Texas:

Washington Post: After Planned Parenthood closures, poor women started having more babies

  • The trend Texas started carries national implications, Potter said. Alabama, Arkansas, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Louisiana and Utah have also taken steps to block public money from Planned Parenthood clinics. Ohio is now considering similar action.”

Los Angeles Times: After Texas stopped funding Planned Parenthood, low-income women had more babies

  • “Lawmakers in Arkansas, Alabama, New Hampshire, Louisiana, North Carolina and Utah have enacted policies to keep public funds out of Planned Parenthood clinics. Ohio is expected to be the next state to follow suit.”

Guardian: Aggressive Planned Parenthood cuts hurt poor women the most, study finds

  • “This new data comes as Republican leaders in several states are attempting to follow in Texas’s footsteps. Last summer, anti-abortion activists released a series of sting videos purporting to show Planned Parenthood employees breaking federal abortion laws. The claims in the videos, which were heavily edited, have been disproved. But they have nevertheless motivated governors and lawmakers in nearly two dozen states to try to strip away hundreds of millions of dollars Planned Parenthood uses to provide free or low-cost to STI and cancer screenings and contraceptives to low-income women.”

Mic: This Horrifying New Study Shows What Will Happen If We Defund Planned Parenthood

  • “Politicians commonly defend their attempts to defund Planned Parenthood by arguing that women can simply access health services elsewhere. But a recent New England Journal of Medicine report powerfully counters this argument: Blocking Planned Parenthood patients from accessing care in Texas, the report found, has negatively impacted women's health.

NY Magazine: Take One Guess What Happened After Texas Defunded Planned Parenthood

  • “At a Republican debate in September, former Florida governor Jeb Bush argued that excluding Planned Parenthood from federal programs like Medicaid wouldn't affect women at all because they have lots of other places to get low-cost reproductive care that don't also provide abortions…. Well, Jeb, we seriously doubt those 13,000 clinics are going to cut it. A new study — the first to look at the impact of blocking Planned Parenthood clinics from public health programs — demonstrates that without Planned Parenthood, low-income women used less birth control and had more pregnancies.”

Vox: When Texas Defunded Planned Parenthood, Women Got Less Birth Control And Had More Babies

  • While some have argued that women would just seek care elsewhere, this new research shows the opposite: When Planned Parenthood becomes less accessible, women just get less care.”

Vivala: The Disastrous Consequences of Cutting Planned Parenthood for Texas

  • “Republicans have insisted that these women can find alternative providers to meet their needs. Ohio pro-life senators even suggested food banks as a Planned Parenthood substitute. Mind you, while a fraction of them might actually provide STD or HIV testing, most of these places don't provide reproductive health services at all.

Mother Jones: Study Shows Limiting Access to Planned Parenthood Hurts Poor Women Most

Think Progress: The Consequences Of Defunding Planned Parenthood

  • Previous research examining Planned Parenthood’s patient base has confirmed that pulling support for the national women’s health organization disproportionately harms low-income Americans who don’t have anywhere else to go for affordable contraceptive services.

Yahoo: What Happened to the Birth Rate When Texas Defunded Planned Parenthood

  • “‘Our analyses suggest that the exclusion of Planned Parenthood affiliates from the Texas Women’s Health Program had an adverse effect on low-income women in Texas by reducing the provision of highly effective methods of contraception, interrupting contraceptive continuation, and increasing the rate of childbirth covered by Medicaid,’ write the authors of the report, who are from the University of Texas.”

Bustle: What Happens When You Defund Planned Parenthood? In Texas, Women Have More Babies & Receive Less Birth Control, Report Shows

  • Although some lawmakers argue that defunding the organization will simply cause women to seek birth control elsewhere, the report's results are clear: In the battle between the GOP and family planning providers, women are the ones who lose.

Cosmo: Texas Women Use Less Birth Control, Have More Babies Since the State Defunded Planned Parenthood

  • If there were any remaining doubts about how cutting Planned Parenthood funding affects women, those should be pretty much cleared up by this new data. When Texas removed Planned Parenthood from its state Medicaid family-planning program, low-income women who qualified for the program were no longer able to afford some of the most highly effective contraception options. And the subsequent consequence was an uptick in the birthrate. 

Dallas Morning News: Texas’ War On Planned Parenthood: Less Birth Control = More Babies

  • The argument that the state has long made — that other health-care providers can effectively fill the void for low-income women once Planned Parenthood is cut out of the picture — doesn’t seem to stand up against this new research.

Take Part: Here’s How Cuts to Planned Parenthood Are Impacting Poor Women

Inquisitr: Planned Parenthood: More Low-Income Babies, Less Contraceptives Use in Wake of Texas Closures

UPI: Medicaid-Paid Births Up In Texas Since Defunding Planned Parenthood

Houston Chronicle: Study: Defunding Planned Parenthood Hurt Women's Health In Texas

Houston Press: De-Funding Planned Parenthood Was Really Bad For Low-Income Women In Texas

Women’s Health: Here's What a Future Without Planned Parenthood Might Look Like

San Antonio Current: Medicaid-paid Births Increase after Texas Barred Planned Parenthood from Using Public Funds for Contraception

Fortune: Here's What Happened After Texas Cut Planned Parenthood's Funding

Medical Xpress: Study Measures Impact Of Removing Planned Parenthood From Texas Women's Health Program

Medscape: Defunding Planned Parenthood May Lead to Less Contraception

NBC News: Contraception Fell, Medicaid Births Went Up When Texas Defunded Planned Parenthood

LAT: After Texas Stopped Funding Planned Parenthood, Low-Income Women Had More Babies

Austin Chronicle: Study: Less Contraception, More Medicaid Births After Planned Parenthood Ban

San Antonio Express-News: Planned Parenthood Supporters Fear Loss Of Services

AP: Study: Texas Birth Control Fell After Planned Parenthood Cut

Texas Observer: After Planned Parenthood Ouster, More Medicaid Births and Less Birth Control

RH Reality Check: Study: Contraceptive Use Dropped When Texas GOP Booted Planned Parenthood From Medicaid

UT News: UT Study Measures Impact of Removing Planned Parenthood from Texas Women’s Health Program

Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Planned Parenthood’s Cuts by Texas Connected to More Births

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