© 2011 N.C. State Student Media
N.C. State students are certainly no strangers to the budget cuts that have been impacting our nation. The federal government has put limits on spending for education resulting in multiple programs being cut from Universities everywhere. N.C. State students have felt the blow of these financially burdening times. Now the women of N.C. State, along with the women of our nation, face the prospect of no federal government spending on birth control, abortion, STD testing and overall women’s healthcare. It is unclear why the federal government chooses to target education and healthcare before other areas of government spending.
February 18 marked the date of the United States House of Representatives’ attempt to withdrawal federal funding from various institutions across the nation. If passed by the Senate, private institutions, namely Planned Parenthood, will take a major hit. Though Planned Parenthood is also funded by donations, 33 percent of its funding comes from the Federal government. It is unclear whether the target of Planned Parenthood in the budget cuts was due to ideological or financial reasons.
Some suggest that the general anti-Abortion stance taken by conservative Republicans may shed some light on the origin of this measure. Many of these other programs that have received cuts in federal funding have been unpopular by the Republican platform. But Planned Parenthood is one of the programs that may lose the entirety of its federal funding.
If the Senate passes the spending cuts, the impact upon women, particularly low-income women, will be detrimental. There are about 800 Planned Parenthood institutions across the country, all of which, without federal funding, risk closing. Though many believe that the bill is propelled by anti-abortion, conservative ideology, Planned Parenthood is known to provide other services for preventative sexual health information. This includes family planning and access to contraceptives. The agency also offers cancer screening, sexually transmitted disease testing and even flu shots and diabetes screening for women who do not have the means to obtain them.
Aside from exposing low-income women to risks against their health, the cuts would further impact teen pregnancy rates. Teen pregnancies have risen steadily over the past three years; without Planned Parenthood, those numbers can only rise. Supporters of this measure are naive to believe that pregnancy rates will not rise—teenagers will continue to have sex, whether contraceptives are freely available or not.
It is indisputable that this bill, if passed, will negatively impact the lives of thousands of women across the country. North Carolina, alone, is in the top ten list of states with the highest Gonorrhea and Syphilis rates. Without Planned Parenthood, the number of cases will only rise.
The question remains—why Planned Parenthood? To cut federal spending on this program seems unnecessary to say the least. The federal government seems to have an unlimited supply of cash when it comes to sending missiles into a foreign country, or to provide federal subsidies to large oil corporations. Yet it’s the health care provided to low-income women that is targeted first. Cutting federal spending in defense and corporations appears as a better method to balance our nation’s budge. If the Senate passes this bill, the federal government and their backward priorities will face public opposition.