Last Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to strike a devastating blow to women's health care in this country. Two hundred and thirty Republicans and 10 Democrats voted to cut $317 million in funds for family planning assistance from the national budget in other words, every last penny of federal funding for family planning initiatives. Of that total, $75 million was designated for Planned Parenthood, which uses federal funding to provide STI screenings, breast and cervical cancer screenings, contraception, annual gynecological exams, HIV counseling and family planning advising. In New Hampshire, organizations that offer family planning services receive $1.4 million in federal funds, the majority of which go to six Planned Parenthood centers throughout the state ("New amendment may decrease Title X funds," Feb. 25). In their efforts to reduce access to abortions, supporters of the bill are recklessly gambling with American women's health.
The logic behind these cuts to family planning services, which include access to contraception, is incomprehensible. House Republicans, who oppose Planned Parenthood because it provides abortion services, are cutting funding to services that help prevent unwanted pregnancies those same unwanted pregnancies that often end in abortion. Planned Parenthood is already prohibited from using federal funds for abortion services, which only make up 3 percent of the total services it provides. The cuts overwhelmingly impact the organization's ability to provide other reproductive health services, thereby undermining women's fundamental right to essential health care.
The cuts will disproportionately affect low-income and uninsured women, who rely on Planned Parenthood for affordable health care. Many of these women would not receive preventative care were it not for Planned Parenthood, leaving them vulnerable to infection and potentially unaware that they have cancer or a disease. The House has proposed no viable alternatives for meeting the health care needs of the five million Americans who visit Planned Parenthood clinics annually.
Meanwhile, campus conversations this week, both on this page and in forums and events sponsored by V-Time, have centered on the meaning of feminism, ending violence against women and improving the campus climate for female students. In light of the recent House vote, it is vital that we reaffirm our commitment to women beyond the boundaries of the Dartmouth community. It is not enough to only speak out about gender issues on campus when millions of women across the country are facing the loss of essential reproductive health services.
Most students at Dartmouth will never find themselves in the position of being unable to afford contraception, STI screening or annual exams. American women who are not as fortunate, including a number of residents in the Upper Valley community, need and deserve our support. Dartmouth students who care about women's issues should not limit their focus to gender dynamics in the Greek system. Sometimes supporting women means actively fighting for their fundamental rights.
