An amendment before the U.S. Senate could cut federal funding to Planned Parenthood, which may affect some students at Syracuse University.

All federal funding of Planned Parenthood and the Title X program could be eliminated until the next fiscal year if the amendment passes in the Senate, according to a Feb. 18 CBS News article. The U.S. House of Representatives voted in favor of the proposal to eliminate Title X, a program that provides aid for family planning and reproductive health across the country, according to the article.

If the amendment is enacted, females will be affected most out of the SU population, said Stephanie Blanco, a senior women’s and gender studies major and a member of Students Advocating Sexual Safety and Empowerment. But this is not just a woman’s issue because men can also get sexually transmitted diseases and have to deal with the effects of unsafe sex, she said.

Planned Parenthood offers birth control options, STD and HIV/AIDS testing, cervical and breast cancer screenings, pelvic exams and pap smears, and counseling services, according to its website. More than 90 percent of its services are geared toward preventative and primary care, according to the website.

Only 7 percent of Planned Parenthood’s services account for abortions, said Betty DeFazio, director of community affairs and public policy at Planned Parenthood of the Rochester/Syracuse Region.

‘We are very hopeful that the Senate will use common sense and restore a program that’s very economically smart,’ DeFazio said. ‘To prevent abortion, you have to prevent unintended pregnancy. The best way to do that is by making birth control widely available and affordable.’

On Feb. 28, a national antiabortion group called the Susan B. Anthony List announced advertisements would air on television that thanked Congresswoman Ann Marie Buerkle for her support of a bill aimed to defund Planned Parenthood, according to an article published in The Post-Standard the same day.

The Syracuse-focused ads, costing $75,000, were the organization’s single-largest expenditure of the $200,000 campaign formed to reach House of Representative members who voted for and against the amendment, according to the article.

Kerry Brown, spokeswoman for the antiabortion group, said the group decided to kick off the campaign in Syracuse because of her support for the movement, according to the article.

Blanco, the senior women’s and gender studies major, said she and about eight of her friends go to Planned Parenthood because it is less expensive than SU Health Services.

‘Getting an annual pap is more expensive at Health Services,’ Blanco said. ‘Planned Parenthood definitely provides cheaper services.’

Planned Parenthood is also a viable option for students who do not have health insurance or who have insurance that does not cover certain services in Syracuse, Blanco said.

It’s hard to answer how much any service offered at Planned Parenthood costs because its work frame is a ‘sliding-fee scale,’ said DeFazio, the director of community affairs and public policy at the Rochester/Syracuse region of Planned Parenthood. Clients with low incomes pay less than those with higher incomes, DeFazio said.

DeFazio said the bill to defund Planned Parenthood is a ‘direct attack’ on those who need this health care the most and rely on it for primary and preventative care.

‘What we’re really talking about is the elimination, nationwide, of access to affordable birth control for women in our country who need it the most,’ DeFazio said.

Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) called the passage of the amendment by the House of Representatives ‘a victory for taxpayers and a victory for life,’ according to Talking Points Memo on Feb. 18.

‘By banning federal funding to Planned Parenthood, Congress has taken a stand for millions of Americans who believe their tax dollars should not be used to subsidize the largest abortion provider in America,’ he said in a statement.

chlevin@syr.edu

 

 

 

 

Published on March 7, 2011 at 12:00 pm