Reich writes: "The Republican assault on Planned Parenthood is filled with
lies and distortions, and may even lead to a government shutdown. The only
thing we can say for sure about it is it's already harming women's health."
Portrait, Robert Reich, 08/16/09. (photo: Perian Flaherty)
Why the Republican Assault on Planned Parenthood Is Morally Wrong and
Economically Stupid
By Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Blog
22 September 15
he Republican assault on Planned Parenthood is filled with lies and
distortions, and may even lead to a government shutdown.
The only thing we can say for sure about it is it's already harming women's
health.
For distortions, start with presidential candidate Carly Fiorina's
contention at last week's Republican debate that a video shows "a fully
formed fetus on the table, its heart beating, its legs kicking, while
someone says, 'We have to keep it alive to harvest its brain.' "
Wrong. In fact, the anti-abortion group that made that shock video added
stock footage of a fully-formed fetus in order to make it seem as if that's
what Planned Parenthood intended.
But as Donald Trump has demonstrated with cunning bravado, presidential
candidates can say anything these days regardless of the truth and get away
with it.
At least elected members of Congress should be held to a standard of
responsible public service.
Yet last Friday, the House voted 241-187 to block Planned Parenthood's
federal funds for a year.
This may lead to another government shutdown. Funding for the government
runs out at the end of the month, and several dozen House Republicans have
said they won't vote for a funding bill that includes money for Planned
Parenthood.
This is, quite frankly, nuts.
A strong moral case can be made that any society that respects women must
respect their right to control their own bodies.
There's also an important economic case for effective family planning.
Public investments in family planning-enabling women to plan, delay, or
avoid pregnancy- make economic sense because reproductive rights are also
productive rights.
When women have control over their lives they can contribute even more to
the economy, better break the glass ceiling, equalize the pay gap, and much
more.
Consider Colorado's highly successful family planning program. Over the past
six years, the Colorado health department has offered teenagers and
low-income women free long-acting birth control that prevents pregnancy over
several years.
As a result, pregnancy and abortion rates plunged-by about 40 percent among
teenagers across the state between 2009 to 2013.
In 2009, half of all first births to women in the poorest areas of Colorado
occurred before they turned 21.
But by 2014, half of first births did not occur until the women had turned
24. This difference gives young women time to finish their education and
obtain better jobs.
Nationally, evidence shows that public investments in family planning result
in net public savings of about $13.6 billion a year-over $7 for every public
dollar spent.
This sum doesn't include the billions of additional dollars saved by
enabling women - who may not be financially able to raise a child and do not
want to have a child or additional children - to stay out of poverty.
Despite what Republicans claim, Planned Parenthood doesn't focus on
providing abortions.
In 2013, the most recent year for which data are available, its services
included nearly nearly 500,000 breast examinations, 400,000 Pap tests,
nearly 4.5 million tests for sexually transmitted illnesses and treatments.
Planned Parenthood's contraceptive services are one of the major reasons we
don't have more abortions in the United States.
The prestigious New England Journal of Medicine calls Planned Parenthood's
contraception services one of "the single greatest effort[s] to prevent the
unwanted pregnancies that result in abortions."
Planned Parenthood's services are particularly important to poor and
lower-income women. At least 78 percent of its patients have incomes at or
below 150 percent of the federal poverty level.
Planned Parenthood gets around $450 million a year from the federal
government. Most of this is Medicaid reimbursements for low-income patients,
according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The rest is mainly
for contraceptive counseling, pregnancy testing and other services.
Federal money can only be used for abortion in rare circumstances.
Even so, over the last five years congressional Republicans have cut 10
percent of the Title X federal budget for family planning, which pays for
services such as cancer screenings and HIV tests.
And now they want to do away with it altogether.
This never used to be a partisan issue. After all, Title X was signed into
law in 1970 by Richard Nixon.
Obviously, the crass economic numbers don't nearly express the full
complexity of the national debate around abortion and family planning.
But they help make the case that we all benefit when society respects women
to control their bodies and plan their families.
The attack on Planned Parenthood is not just morally wrong. It's also
economically stupid.
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Portrait, Robert Reich, 08/16/09. (photo: Perian Flaherty)
http://robertreich.org/post/129528499495http://robertreich.org/post/12952849
9495
Why the Republican Assault on Planned Parenthood Is Morally Wrong and
Economically Stupid
By Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Blog
22 September 15
he Republican assault on Planned Parenthood is filled with lies and
distortions, and may even lead to a government shutdown.
The only thing we can say for sure about it is it's already harming women's
health.
For distortions, start with presidential candidate Carly Fiorina's
contention at last week's Republican debate that a video shows "a fully
formed fetus on the table, its heart beating, its legs kicking, while
someone says, 'We have to keep it alive to harvest its brain.' "
Wrong. In fact, the anti-abortion group that made that shock video added
stock footage of a fully-formed fetus in order to make it seem as if that's
what Planned Parenthood intended.
But as Donald Trump has demonstrated with cunning bravado, presidential
candidates can say anything these days regardless of the truth and get away
with it.
At least elected members of Congress should be held to a standard of
responsible public service.
Yet last Friday, the House voted 241-187 to block Planned Parenthood's
federal funds for a year.
This may lead to another government shutdown. Funding for the government
runs out at the end of the month, and several dozen House Republicans have
said they won't vote for a funding bill that includes money for Planned
Parenthood.
This is, quite frankly, nuts.
A strong moral case can be made that any society that respects women must
respect their right to control their own bodies.
There's also an important economic case for effective family planning.
Public investments in family planning-enabling women to plan, delay, or
avoid pregnancy- make economic sense because reproductive rights are also
productive rights.
When women have control over their lives they can contribute even more to
the economy, better break the glass ceiling, equalize the pay gap, and much
more.
Consider Colorado's highly successful family planning program. Over the past
six years, the Colorado health department has offered teenagers and
low-income women free long-acting birth control that prevents pregnancy over
several years.
As a result, pregnancy and abortion rates plunged-by about 40 percent among
teenagers across the state between 2009 to 2013.
In 2009, half of all first births to women in the poorest areas of Colorado
occurred before they turned 21.
But by 2014, half of first births did not occur until the women had turned
24. This difference gives young women time to finish their education and
obtain better jobs.
Nationally, evidence shows that public investments in family planning result
in net public savings of about $13.6 billion a year-over $7 for every public
dollar spent.
This sum doesn't include the billions of additional dollars saved by
enabling women - who may not be financially able to raise a child and do not
want to have a child or additional children - to stay out of poverty.
Despite what Republicans claim, Planned Parenthood doesn't focus on
providing abortions.
In 2013, the most recent year for which data are available, its services
included nearly nearly 500,000 breast examinations, 400,000 Pap tests,
nearly 4.5 million tests for sexually transmitted illnesses and treatments.
Planned Parenthood's contraceptive services are one of the major reasons we
don't have more abortions in the United States.
The prestigious New England Journal of Medicine calls Planned Parenthood's
contraception services one of "the single greatest effort[s] to prevent the
unwanted pregnancies that result in abortions."
Planned Parenthood's services are particularly important to poor and
lower-income women. At least 78 percent of its patients have incomes at or
below 150 percent of the federal poverty level.
Planned Parenthood gets around $450 million a year from the federal
government. Most of this is Medicaid reimbursements for low-income patients,
according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The rest is mainly
for contraceptive counseling, pregnancy testing and other services.
Federal money can only be used for abortion in rare circumstances.
Even so, over the last five years congressional Republicans have cut 10
percent of the Title X federal budget for family planning, which pays for
services such as cancer screenings and HIV tests.
And now they want to do away with it altogether.
This never used to be a partisan issue. After all, Title X was signed into
law in 1970 by Richard Nixon.
Obviously, the crass economic numbers don't nearly express the full
complexity of the national debate around abortion and family planning.
But they help make the case that we all benefit when society respects women
to control their bodies and plan their families.
The attack on Planned Parenthood is not just morally wrong. It's also
economically stupid.
http://e-max.it/posizionamento-siti-web/socialize
http://e-max.it/posizionamento-siti-web/socialize