PLANNED PARENTHOOD STATEMENT ON PRESIDENT OBAMA’S 2010 BUDGET
Ends Ineffective Abstinence-Only Programs,
Provides New Funding for Evidence-Based Comprehensive Sex Education —
Missed Opportunities to Strengthen Title X
And Ensure Women’s Access to Full Range of Care <!--break->
“As our nation works to strengthen women’s health care, there is
both good and bad news in this budget. While the budget is a step in
the right direction toward reducing alarmingly high unintended
pregnancy rates and helping ensure that young people have the
information and health care they need to become healthy and productive
adults, it misses an opportunity to build on one of the nation’s most
effective programs in reducing unintended pregnancies,” said Cecile
Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA).
Notable items in the Obama FY2010 Budget include:
—Ends funding for ineffective abstinence-only programs (CBAE and Title V program)
—Provides $178 million for evidence-based comprehensive sex education programs that prevent teen pregnancy
—Provides a modest $10 million increase in the Title X family planning program, to a total of $317 million
—Extends access to basic health care to millions more women through the Medicaid State Option Family Planning Waiver
—Does not remove onerous restrictions on women’s ability to access the full range of reproductive health care
SEX EDUCATION
“President Obama’s budget makes clear that the government won’t
waste federal dollars on programs that don’t reduce the number of teen
pregnancies or keep teens healthy and safe. We applaud the president
for rejecting failed abstinence-only programs that have cost our
government more than $1 billion and, instead, invest in evidence-based
sex ed programs that have proven to help prevent teen pregnancy,” said
PPFA President Cecile Richards.
President Obama’s budget completely eliminates funding for the
Community Based Abstinence Education (CBAE) program and the Title V
Abstinence Education program for states, saving the federal government
$149 million. In addition, the president’s budget includes $178 million
in new funding for “evidence-based” teen pregnancy prevention programs.
Of that, $75 million is designated for “programs that replicate the
elements of one or more teenage pregnancy prevention programs that have
been proven through rigorous evaluation to delay sexual activity,
increase contraceptive use (without increasing sexual activity), or
reduce teenage pregnancy”; and $25 million is slotted for research and
development of new and innovative strategies for preventing teen
pregnancy.
FAMILY PLANNING
“We commend the investment in women’s health and the commitment to
make family planning and basic health care services, including
lifesaving cancer screenings, more accessible and affordable to
millions of low-income women and their families,” said Richards. “Yet,
at a time when health centers like ours are seeing an increase in the
number of women seeking basic preventive care, the president’s budget
misses an opportunity to further invest and strengthen the Title X
program. Title X is a vital component of the health care safety net
and one of the most effective programs in reducing the number of
unintended pregnancies. We will continue to work with President Obama
and Congress to ensure that Title X and women’s health are priorities
as they move toward reform of our health care system.”
President Obama’s budget provides a modest $10 million increase in
the Title X program, the nation’s family planning program, for a total
of $317 million. The Title X family planning program provides basic
health care to more than five million women and families. Six in 10
clients consider a family planning center their main source of health
care. However, funding has not kept pace with inflation, and more than
17 million women are in need of publicly funded family planning
services. Investing in the Title X program also saves money. According
to the Guttmacher Institute, taxpayers save $4 for every $1 dollar
spent on family planning.
President Obama’s budget also includes a provision to expand family
planning under Medicaid, which would extend family planning coverage to
millions more women.
Expanding family planning under Medicaid has been one of Planned
Parenthood’s top priorities under our Prevention First Agenda. Also
known as the Medicaid Family Planning State Option, it would simply
allow states to expand their Medicaid family planning services,
including cancer screenings and other preventive care, to more women in
need, without having to go through the burdensome Medicaid waiver
process.
The Medicaid Family Planning State Option would have a significant
impact on women’s health and is vital to expanding care to the millions
of women who are losing their jobs and/or their health insurance in
this economic downturn. According to the Congressional Budget Office,
this provision would provide coverage to 2.3 million low-income women
by 2014. A study by the Guttmacher Institute finds that this flexible
option would help 500,000 women avoid unplanned pregnancy.
ABORTION RESTRICTIONS
An additional aspect of concern is that the president’s budget does
not remove government funding restrictions on abortion services.
Restrictions on public funding for abortion services have severely
hindered access to safe abortion care for women, disproportionately
affecting poor women.
“We are disappointed that the budget did not remove restrictions on
women’s ability to access the full range of reproductive health care
services,” said Richards. “Placing onerous restrictions on women is not
effective public policy. We look forward to working with the president
and Congress to remove these restrictions.”
“As the nation’s leading advocate and provider of women’s
reproductive health care, every day we see that the best way to prevent
unintended pregnancies and promote healthy families is to invest in
family planning programs and ensure more women have access to
affordable, quality reproductive health care,” said Richards. “The
president’s budget is a step in that direction.”
