Federal Funding Blocked for Planned Parenthood: Collegiettes™ Speak Out Part 1 - Women Campus

Protestors from both sides of the debate have filled city streets in major cities across the country after the Republican-led House of Representatives voted to block all federal funding to Planned Parenthood under H.R. 1, also known as the Pence Amendment, on February 18.

Now, the push to defund Planned Parenthood moves on to the Senate.

Concerned collegiettes™ speak out on the issue while others remain divided.

"The House made a huge error voting to defund Planned Parenthood," said Allie Jones, a sophomore at the College of William and Mary. "Many American women rely on Planned Parenthood for STD screenings, contraception, and basic gynecological care. Planned Parenthood also provides life-saving cervical cancer screenings. It's not just for low-income women, it's for all of us."

Other services offered by Planned Parenthood include: general health care, breast cancer screenings, HPV and hepatitis vaccines, and the one that causes all the controversy, abortion.

But no federal funding goes to abortion at Planned Parenthood or any other organization in the U.S.

Elizabeth Wiley, a third-year medical student at the George Washington University and American Medical Student Association co-legislative director, cited some of the health care services provided by Planned Parenthood, saying that without federal funding, these evidence-based services would not be available.

About one-third of Planned Parenthood's budget comes from federal funding.

Elora Tocci, a Syracuse University sophomore, said, "If the government wants to cut funding for Planned Parenthood, it needs to ensure these services are offered at the same quality, cost and level of accessibility."

Wiley said cutting Planned Parenthood's funding could have devastating health consequences for many women in college, especially if they rely on Planned Parenthood for affordable access to health care. "These cuts will have a disproportionate effect on college-age women," she said. "The Planned Parenthood funding at stake is not funding for abortion — it's funding for basic women's health services."

But not everyone shares Wiley's perspective.

Karen Shablin, an independent health-care consultant and former speaker for Feminists for Life, said moral issues are involved. "The Title X [Family Planning program] dollars sent to Planned Parenthood do not directly fund abortion services, but they certainly fund the infrastructure and offset the cost of Planned Parenthood's expansive abortion service empire."