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Texas to shut down health program if Planned Parenthood participates
By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
October 19th, 2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
October 19th, 2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
A Texas health program that benefits 100,000 women in households will be terminated if Planned Parenthood is allowed to continue participating, the state's health and human services chief declared. Planned Parenthood has since asked a federal appeals court to reconsider a lower court ruling that allows Texas to ban it from the program.
LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - "If they prevail in that case, and the courts say, 'You have to include Planned Parenthood,' then, yes, (the program) goes away," Texas Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Dr. Kyle Janek said.The health program is part and parcel of the Republican-dominated state government and the Democratic administration of President Barack Obama. Several other states have also tried to cut off funding for Planned Parenthood.
The federal government, which pays for 90 percent of the $39-million-a-year program, says it will not renew the funding because Texas decided to enforce a years-old law that had barred funding for abortion providers and affiliates.
Texas is creating its own program for 115,000 low-income women using state funds, set to begin November 1.
While state officials had previously said the program would not continue if Planned Parenthood participated, the rules unveiled by Janek on Thursday for the state-funded program has made the ban official.
Janek says the current federal-state health program provides contraception and health screenings. The state-funded program also included treatment of certain sexually transmitted diseases.
Rochelle Tafolla, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, which serves Houston and surrounding areas, said ending the program would be highly detrimental for patients.
"It's shocking that they would rather end a program for low-income, uninsured women than to allow Planned Parenthood to provide these services," she said in an interview.
Planned Parenthood continues to serve women through the program, says it does not provide abortions at clinics that participate in the program. The state objects to the family planning group's affiliation with clinics that do provide abortions.
Nearly half of the women in the program are served by Planned Parenthood, Tafolla said.
Questions had been raised about whether other facilities would be able to absorb the patients now served by Planned Parenthood.
"There is no evidence that they are prepared to sustain the very large caseload increases that would be required to fill the gaps left after Planned Parenthood affiliates are excluded," a study by the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services said.
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