| Repbulcain State Senator Robert Deuell has asked Republican State Attorney General Greg Abbott if there is any way he can increase the number of unwanted pregnancies in the state of Texas and, to that end, potentially slash Texas' Women's Health Program by as much as 90% in the process. Did I mention that the Women's Health Program prevented 10,000 unwanted pregnancies in 2008? Or that the program saves the state $40 million a year? Does that matter to a fiscally conservative Republican like State Senator Robert Deuell? Of course not. From the Texas Tribune: State Sen. Bob Deuell wants Planned Parenthood's clinics out of the state’s Women’s Health Program, which provides family planning services — but not abortions — to impoverished Medicaid patients. And he says a 2005 law should exclude them already. But for years, the state’s Health and Human Services Commission has allowed those clinics to continue participating, disregarding the legislative mandate for fear that barring them might be unconstitutional. Deuell has asked Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott to clear up the matter, hoping it will free up the agency to push Planned Parenthood out.
Do the Planned Parenthood facilities that offer services through the state's Women's Health Program offer abortion services? Of course they don't. That'd be against the law. Do Planned Parenthood facilities offer considerable more privacy for women seeking health care -- especially, in the case of this program, underprivileged women ages 18-44? Of course they do. State health officials have a lot riding on the outcome. If they adopt and follow the rule lawmakers intended — and it doesn’t align with federal Medicaid policy — they could risk losing big bucks: $18 million of the $20 million the state spent on the Women’s Health Program in 2009 came from the federal government, according a brief HHSC sent to the attorney general. Planned Parenthood advocates say the clinics provide stellar reproductive health care and that they’re often the only family planning outfits available in Texas communities. And by all accounts, the program — launched in 2007 as a five-year pilot for impoverished women aged 18 and 44 — is effective. With just a fraction of eligible women currently enrolled, the program prevented 10,000 unplanned pregnancies in 2008 (through contraception and other family planning methods, not abortion), and it saved the state roughly $40 million a year, according to a recent HHSC study.
Does any of this matter to Republican State Senator Robert Deuell? Of course not. Know why? Because the ideological straight-jacket that envelopes Senator Deuell, Rick Perry, and the rest of the Republican leadership forces them to reject even the most common-sense measures....even the most obvious of successful health programs...even successful health programs that save the state money. What State Senator Robert Deuell lacks in common sense he makes up for in senseless cowardice. If you're in North Texas, or the Houston area, feel free to show Senator Deuell how much you care about him. UPDATE: From the comments: All of you in SD 2 can support his opponent in the race Kathleen Shaw, anyone out of the district can help too with contributions. http://www.kathleenshaw.net/
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