The House of Representatives has proposed to cut federal funds to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, a nationwide organization that helps women by offering maternal and child health services. The proposal would eliminate 40 percent of Planned Parenthood’s budget, according to a Feb. 17 article “Planned Parenthood Financing is Caught in Budget Feud” in the New York Times (www.nytimes.com), and force the program to turn away people in need of medical consultation and assistance. Rather than hindering the ability of this program to meet its clients’ health needs, the federal government should be supporting Planned Parenthood’s much needed health services.

The proposed federal cuts to Planned Parenthood’s budget would handicap the nationwide effort to educate the public on reproductive and sexual health, all because of opposition to the abortion services offered, which account for a mere three percent of all of the PPFA’s health services, according to the Planned Parenthood Web site (www. plannedparenthood.com).

The assistance Planned Parenthood offers is not limited to abortion services. The organization’s health care services include accurate sex education such as information on gender orientation, sexually transmitted diseases and birth control. According to the Planned Parenthood Web site, 83 percent of the program’s clients seek help to prevent pregnancy. Ironically, Planned Parenthood’s lost funds will also hinder its ability to inform its clients on the benefits of using contraception, a key step in drastically reducing the need for these controversial abortions.

However, as a result of the Hyde Amendment, federal funds do not pay for these abortions, except in cases of rape, incest or life endangerment, according to the Library of Congress online database of federal legislative information THOMAS (thomas.loc.gov). Despite this fact, Congressman Mike Pence and other pro-lifers stand firm against continuing full funding, arguing that although federal funds do not directly support most abortions, the support received from the government covers other costs and thus frees up the funds that the PPFA uses as the number one abortion-provider in the nation, according to the National Right to Life Committee (www.nrlc.org).

While pro-lifers may hope that defunding the PPFA will decrease the number of women receiving abortions, cutting funds to Planned Parenthood will not stop abortions from taking place. Abortion is legal and there will still be a demand for it. By limiting funds for Planned Parenthood, the organization will be forced to turn away women in dire need of an abortion. Thus, these women will seek procedures in unsafe and unwarranted environments. Rather than impeding the progress of the PPFA, the government should be bolstering the program. With widely available sex education and contraceptives, the government could truly eliminate the need for abortion.