PORTLAND – As we stand amid the current war being waged on women’s health, several questions come to mind.

Foremost is the question, “What is health?” This question for women in America is closely followed by the question, “Does our health count?”

It does, and women should not have to fight to have their health count. Women’s health needs are human health needs.

The Pence Amendment, which will cut federal funding, through Title X, for Planned Parenthood, is not only an attack on women’s reproductive health, it is a direct attack upon human rights.

Planned Parenthood has historically provided low-income and uninsured women a safe environment to receive free or sliding-scale gynecological services. Proponents of the Pence Amendment intend to eliminate these services because they feel that the government should not give money to an organization that provides legal abortions in the United States.

While Planned Parenthood does receive federal funding for its health programs, it does not receive any federal funding to support abortion. This organization relies solely upon private funds to provide abortion services for women in need. Only 3 percent of all Planned Parenthood’s appointments are for abortion procedures.

Because the vast majority of women utilize Planned Parenthood services to receive routine, affordable health care, rather than abortions, these funding cuts will leave thousands of women without access to the care they need to lead healthy lives.

We still live in a country where not everyone has health insurance or access to health resources. Why do we want to punish the poor and underserved further by cutting funding to Planned Parenthood? 

Anti-choice groups and supporters of the budget cuts claim that defunding Planned Parenthood is fiscally necessary. However, these same supporters are willing to provide federal funding to other women’s health clinics — clinics that do not necessarily support or provide abortion services.

It appears that this war on women’s health is not about money. Rather, this war is centered upon the ongoing debate of anti-choice vs. pro-choice.

While these cuts to Planned Parenthood funding appear to be motivated by anti-choice interests, the outcome of the proposed cuts would not be fewer abortions, or even less access to abortions.

These cuts would in effect limit access to birth control and reproductive counsel, screenings, and emotional support, which help reduce the need for abortions. Cutting federal funding to Planned Parenthood would effectively cause an increase in unintended pregnancies and, therefore, a potential increase in the need for abortions.

However, this would only be the secondary cost of cutting federal funding for Planned Parenthood. The primary cost would be a decline in health and access to care for millions of women, particularly low- income women.

Every year, 4 million low- income women receive health services related to family planning from programs funded by Title X. Cutting Title X funding will put these women’s health at risk.

So we ask the following questions of those who want to cut Title X funding to Planned Parenthood in order to push an anti-choice agenda: Is your agenda worth an increase in the need for abortions? Is your agenda worth an increase in risks to women’s health? Is your agenda worth an increase in risks to the health of families?

In states like South Dakota, Nebraska and Georgia, efforts are being made to deny women’s rights to health.

In these states, laws are being proposed and enacted to force women to have religious counseling before being able to get an abortion, and to allow the government to investigate the nature of miscarriages. These actions are parts of the war on women’s health in the United States.

Maine needs to show the country that we stand behind women’s right to health, and that we view health as a human right. We in Maine must not return to an age where women are seen as other than human.

For our mothers, our sisters, our partners, our friends: This is a call to arms in the battle for health.

– Special to the Press Herald

 

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