Wis. Planned Parenthood Prepares for Funding Cuts Under New State Budget

July 13, 2011 — Planned Parenthood affiliates in Wisconsin are evaluating how funding cuts in the recently approved state budget will affect services at their health centers, the Appleton Post Crescent reports. The Wisconsin Legislature recently adopted a budget plan that eliminates $1 million in state and federal funding from nine Planned Parenthood affiliates that serve some of the state's smaller communities. No changes in services have taken effect yet, according to Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin officials.

The Joint Finance Committee -- which writes the state budget -- voted in May to block organizations that provide abortion services from receiving grants offered to city and county health departments, community health centers and family planning clinics. PPWI spokesperson Amanda Harrington noted that only three of the state's 27 Planned Parenthood centers provide those services, though none of the nine targeted for the cuts do so.

According to the Post Crescent, the $1 million in cuts represent nearly one-quarter of all funding from federal, state and private grants. Planned Parenthood officials now will wait to see whether the federal government might be able to fill the funding gap. The cuts could affect about 12,000 patients, many of whom are uninsured or underinsured (Wolff, Appleton Post Crescent, 7/11).