The House of Representatives voted 240 to 185 on Feb. 18 in favor of the Pence Amendment, which is designed to slash any federal funding to organizations that provide abortion counseling or care, including Planned Parenthood. *
The amendment would also eliminate the entire Title X program, a source through which Planned Parenthood also receives funding.
The amendment, introduced by representative Mike Pence (R-Ind.), was met with a variety of strong opinions during a House meeting intended to discuss solutions for the national deficit and the creation of new jobs.
"The House action shows leadership completely out of touch with the American people," said Amy White, director of marketing and communication for Planned Parenthood of Western New York. "One of the worst ways to prevent abortion is to make it difficult for women to get access to birth control and education."
Title X is a government program founded in 1970 that allows family planning services to low-income families. Title X funds, by law, can only be spent on services such as family planning and birth control services, which does not include abortion.
Planned Parenthood of Western New York offers a variety of services including women's reproductive health care, birth control services, STD testing, HIV testing, and treatment.
Around 20,000 Buffalo citizens are served annually at local Planned Parenthoods. The primary demographic is 19 to 28-year-old women with a secondary demographic of 19-and-under teenagers.
As the nation's leading provider of sexual and reproductive health care, Planned Parenthood was quickly targeted by legislators because of the abortion services it provides.
Republications in the House are justifying cutting all federal funding to Planned Parenthood by stating that the tax money of anti-abortion American citizens should not go to organizations that perform abortions.
Some students agree.
"I think it is a necessary step," said Sara Buttitta, a senior business major and president of UB Students for Life. "The reality is that Planned Parenthood is getting tax funding as a non-profit organization. In reality, they make millions [of dollars] in profit every year."
Those who oppose the Pence Amendment see it as more of a personal attack on Planned Parenthood, rather than an actual solution for the nation's deficit problem.
"A lot of these cuts, such as Planned Parenthood, are done under the guise of attempting to reduce federal spending under our latest knee-jerk-tactic mantra of balancing the budget," said Travis Nemmer, a sophomore history major and vice president for College Republicans in an e-mail. "Cutting these sorts of minor discretionary programs would not even register a drop in the immense bucket that is the federal budget. As it stands now, this is a purely political move intended to score points with the recently recalcitrant social conservative wing of the party."
The debate over Planned Parenthood has also branched out to include arguments over women's rights and basic health care rights for many low-income families.
"It just seems to me that Republicans come out and try to frame this cause to seem that they are really concerned for women's health," said Leland Murphy, a senior history major and president of the College Democrats. "In reality, it's just going to wreak havoc on women's health all over the country, especially for low-income women who don't have any other access to cancer screening and STD testing [besides Planned Parenthood]."
The majority of the clients that Planned Parenthood of WNY serves consists of low-income women (those who are uninsured or under-insured and generally need to pay out-of-pocket) and students who are no longer covered by their parents' health insurance.
Additionally, people who have private insurance tend to choose Planned Parenthood because of the organization's extensive knowledge on birth control.
"I think it's dangerous for the health of women and families in both Western New York and the country," White said. "Three million women currently rely on Planned Parenthood for their basic health care needs. Sixty percent of our client base relies on us as their primary source of health care."
Anti-abortion and abortion rights activists are now coming forward and supporting their respective sides of the debate. Some websites, such as I Stand With Planned Parenthood, allow visitors to send a petition to the Senate asking it to protect Planned Parenthood funding while similar anti-abortion websites do the same, and also make it clear that there are other options for women besides abortion.
Buttitta has spoken to many girls who have felt pressured into having abortions by family members and boyfriends, and who have since regretted their decision. Even girls who have gone to Planned Parenthood clinics have felt pressured into choosing abortion because of their youth, according to Buttitta.
However, White argues that Planned Parenthood presents equally valid choices to its clients.
"Planned Parenthood is an all-options agency," White said. "We equally support parenting, adoption, and abortion choices."
The Pence Amendment has now moved on to the Senate, where it will be put to a vote at any time this week.
* The Senate's vote had not been revealed as of press time.
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