Texas Wasting Money, Hurting Women's Health Services With Planned Parenthood Ban, Editorial Argues
January 16, 2013 — Texas' decision to exclude Planned Parenthood from the state's Women's Health Program because it provides abortions "fixed a problem that didn't exist, and now, the fix is spawning worse problems," according to a Dallas Morning News editorial. The editorial notes that "federal law dictated long before Texas legislators intervened [that] not a dime of taxpayer money can be used to provide abortion services."
By excluding Planned Parenthood, the state became ineligible for "federal funding that paid tens of millions of dollars for low-income women's reproductive health services," the editorial explains. "[T]he result has been a waste of public money, enormous cuts in health care funding and creation of an informational black hole for low-income women seeking health services," it adds.
A recent survey of providers listed on the state's WHP website found that only 18% "actually accept patients for the services the state says they provide," the editorial notes (Dallas Morning News, 1/14).
The information contained in this publication reflects media coverage of women’s health issues and does not necessarily reflect the views of the National Partnership for Women & Families.
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The Editors
Debra Ness, publisher & president, National Partnership
Andrea Friedman, associate editor & director of reproductive health programs, National Partnership
Marya Torrez, associate editor & senior reproductive health policy counsel, National Partnership
Melissa Safford, associate editor & policy advocate for reproductive health, National Partnership
Perry Sacks, assistant editor & health program associate, National Partnership
Cindy Romero, assistant editor & communications assistant, National Partnership
Justyn Ware, editor
Amanda Wolfe, editor-in-chief
Heather Drost, Hanna Jaquith, Marcelle Maginnis, Ashley Marchand and Michelle Stuckey, staff writers
Tucker Ball, director of new media, National Partnership
