The deadline for passing a spending bill for the government was set for Congress on the 30th of September 30, 2015. Failure to do this by the deadline implied that the government would shut down, and there was a move by some of the congress members to impose leverage on the deadline so as to defund the initiative of Planned Parenthood.
The nature of federal spending can either be mandatory or at its own discretion. The Planned Parenthood agency is entitled to 450 million dollars annually from the given federal funds. The agency claims that this given figure accounts for up to 41 per cent of its total revenue, making this a major source of its operating capital.
According to the agency’s reports, 90 per cent of its overall funding is derived from mandatory federal spending, with 10 per cent from discretion spending. The defunding move alienates Planned Parenthood from accessing Medicaid for no direct reason and thus is a clear violation of a patient’s rights to access their preferential medical care. Federal law stipulates that federal funding cannot be used for abortion procedures with only special exemptions such as rape when a mother’s life is on the line or cases of incest.
The consequences of this defunding will be felt almost immediately. The Republicans argue that, on the upside, the bill will be able to counter abortion and entities benefitting from the illegal sale of fetal tissue. Drawbacks to this will be far-reaching, however, as it will disrupt the healthcare services provided to millions of patients. The agency’s employees are also set to lose their jobs, which is a major drawback as the agency only accepts Medicaid patients, and many doctors turn them away because of low remuneration rates. Planned Parenthood provides services for both insured and patients who lack an insurance policy.
Works Cited
Rosenbaum, Sara. “Can community health centers fill the health care void left by defunding Planned Parenthood.” Health Affairs (2017).
Stevenson, Amanda J., et al. “Effect of removal of planned parenthood from the Texas Women’s Health Program.” New England Journal of Medicine 374.9 (2016): 853-860.
