Wisconsin, the state of rosy outlook and "real reform," has slashed $1.1M from funding for Planned Parenthood. The closures are scheduled to occur between April and July.
That means about 2,000 low-income residents who need cancer screening, breast exams, birth control, pregnancy test, or testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases may have to travel up to an hour to go to a location in another county.
But wait! Lest you think this is just a continuation of the TeaOP War on Women, they already
slashed funding in 2011 for family planning services for men!
The new state budget also cuts men out of BadgerCare, the state's Medicaid-funded family planning program, and tightens the eligibility restrictions for women, which could jeopardize the entire program. The U.S. Department of Health would have to agree to such dramatic changes to BadgerCare that state officials worry the program might end altogether, leaving 57,000 uninsured patients without access to health care.
Ah, Wisconsin, where cutting funding for family planning services is a shining example of gender equality!
Never mind that none of the clinics did abortions. Even if they did, the funding that was cut didn't pay for patient services:
Planned Parenthood officials stressed that the $1.1 million the organization lost in state funding for nine counties mainly paid for infrastructure costs. The money was never used to provide abortion services, which would have been against state and federal laws, officials said.
"They weren't reimbursements for patient services directly," said Nicole Safar, director of public policy for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. "None of these centers provided abortion services. . . . In these communities, there is nowhere else for low-income women to get these services. These centers focused on preventing unplanned pregnancies and reducing the need for abortions."
The centers provided 11,400 health care services a year. Officials said they worry that the closings will mean that about 2,000 people in the affected communities won't be getting checkups or treatment, putting patients at risk of cancer and other illnesses.
As bad is this is, funding for services was cut across the board, wasn't it? Actually,
not so much:
Planned Parenthood was disproportionately affected by the cut because the finance committee redefined in 2011 who was able to receive the women's health block grant, which is half federally and half state funded.
But closing the clinics will save taxpayers money because fewer slut-Americans will have s*x, right? Um,
no:
They are focused on preventing unintended pregnancies and (preventing) the need for abortion.
...
Cutting funds and turning away resources tied to the Medicaid program when people are going without essential health care will negatively impact community health and cost taxpayers’ money
OK, so the budget cuts represent a sincere, if misguided, attempt to save money. There's
nothing more at work here, is there?
A Planned Parenthood spokesperson said Wisconsin has never seen an administration more fundamentally opposed to family planning and birth control. Walker was the first gubernatorial candidate to seek and win the official endorsement of Pro-Life Wisconsin -- a group that considers birth control a form of abortion and opposes sex education for teenagers.
Numerous state lawmakers have expressed their disdain for Planned Parenthood.
"There's a very ugly side to this organization, and I regret that they're going to take such a tiny cut in this budget," said state Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) during negotiations on the budget.
Walker's op-ed makes him sound like he's angling for the Presidency. Coming from a blue state could mislead voters into thinking he's moderate. He's anything but.