I let out the heartiest of belly laughs when I first heard the U.S. House of Representatives recently voted to defund Planned Parenthood because it is obvious the president’s veto pen would immediately prevent this from actually happening.
But the situation in Wisconsin is not so funny.
At the end of September, the Wisconsin Assembly voted to block $3.5 million in Title X funds to Planned Parenthood. The Republicans overwhelmingly voted to pass the measure in the Assembly and it now moves to the Republican-led Senate. After that, the bill is in the hands of Gov. Scott Walker, who is looking to reassert himself in Wisconsin after a disastrous presidential campaign. All of these factors make the evaporation of federal funds for Planned Parenthood in Wisconsin a distinct possibility.
But the problem with this particular piece of legislation is there is no reason for its existence, and Republican state legislators’ reasonings behind drafting the bill are severely lacking.
Rep. Joel Kleefisch, R-Oconomowoc, rationalized the bill in The Capital Times.
“Planned Parenthood is in the business of abortion, period,” Kleefisch said. “Funneling the money to Planned Parenthood and its affiliates means our tax dollars are being used to actively terminate human life, not promote or improve public health.”
There are several inaccuracies in this statement.
First, following the establishment of Title X funds, which aim to serve lower-income Americans, was the Hyde Amendment in 1976.
This legislation mandated that federal Medicaid funds could not be used to fund abortions except in cases of rape, incest or medical emergency.
Therefore, what Kleefisch told The Capital Times is either very poorly researched or an outright lie intended to push the bill. The fact of the matter is, as of now, funding for Planned Parenthood does not pay for abortions, except for the situations listed above.
Instead, funding for Planned Parenthood goes to crucial services like STD and pregnancy testing, contraception services and cancer screenings for low-income women and men who would not otherwise receive these services.
The Hyde Amendment is an effective compromise that allows citizens more say in how funds are spent. But legislators all over the country still are drafting bills, claiming they don’t want federal dollars used to fund abortions.
Secondly, when Kleefisch said Planned Parenthood is “in the abortion business, period,” it suggests abortions are a large part of the services they provide.
This suggestion is wrong and deceptive. Abortions are a miniscule part of what Planned Parenthood does. It accounted for only 3 percent of services provided by Planned Parenthood last year.
Defunding Planned Parenthood any further is dangerous because it will deprive people of essential services that they need, and stifle low-income Americans who want to be more proactive and responsible for their health and well being.
Not only is it not right for politicians to decide what women do with their bodies, but with these particular bills it’s almost like they’re not even trying to properly justify it anymore. It’s an egregious abuse of power, and it is about time that someone put a stop to it.
Miles Brown (mjbrown22@wisc.edu) is a recent UW graduate with degrees in political science and history.
