Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Women in Texas Losing Options for Health Care

The legislature in Texas is cutting funding by two-thirds for all women's clinics they feel is supporting Planned Parenthood because of their association with doctors and clinics that fund abortion.  The "right to life" movement is gaining momentum in many states like Texas that feel the new federal health program passed by congress and signed by Obama in 2010 is over stepping states rights.  Almost forty years ago Texas was also involved in a case before the United States Supreme Court named "Roe vs. Wade",  in which a single pregnant women residing there, argued the constitutionality of Texas criminal abortion laws and won the case.  So here we are again arguing the legality of the Federal government in telling states how to handle a women's reproductive health and if they should have to fund it.  Title X  a federally funded family planning program enacted in 1970 is also at the heart of this argument, because Texas wants to opt out of receiving these funds altogether.  Although this program was set up to fund women without any means to provide their own health care coverage, such as:  birth control, pap smears, breast, cervical, and STD's screenings, states like Texas are adamant that this money is connected in some way to funding abortions which they are strongly against!  The question that should be asked is what are a states rights versus the federal government in determining how to take care of its own citizens - and who should make this determination?

Link:http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/08/us/texas-womens-clinics-retreat-as-finances-are-cut.html?scp=1&sq=THURSDAY%20MARCH%208,%202012/A1&st=cse

No comments: