Students who seek reproductive health services at City College may have more limited options if a bill passed in the House of Representatives is made into law.
Under the Pence Amendment, written by Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., all federal funding would be eliminated for Planned Parenthood, an organization that was established in 1916.
According to Raquel Simental, public affairs director of Planned Parenthood Mar Monte Sacramento, Planned Parenthood satellite services operates on campus every Tuesday 10 a.m.–3 p.m. A representative of the organization is available to assist students with contraceptive needs and STI testing.
The birth control currently available to students include: Syronex, Ortho-Tricyclin, Ortho-Tricyclin Lo, Microgestin, Micronor, NuvaRing, Depo-Provera, and the OrthoEvra Patch.
Planned Parenthood does not just offer contraception; it also provides programs such as Teen Success, an advocate program that helps educate teens about taking preventative reproduction measures.
“If the [defunding] happens, then it’ll be a big loss to our students because a lot of them come in and get their reproductive health needs met by Planned Parenthood,” said City College Nurse Jeff Christian. “They are the only organization that is coming on to our campus on a regular basis.”
Planned Parenthood is made up of over 800 health centers nationwide, according to Simental. As an organization it receives approximately $390 million yearly in state and federal funds. Some 90 percent of Planned Parenthood funding is provided through federal funds. If the Pence Amendment is made into law, Planned Parenthood would be stripped of $360 million.
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Students are currently able to receive free services from Planned Parenthood satellite services through Family PACT, a publically funded family planning program that pays for preventative health care services. Simental said that 58 percent of Planned Parenthood’s funding is tied with the Family PACT grant, and because Family PACT is a state program that depends on federal funding, it is in jeopardy of being cut.
“This is going to affect the number of [STI and HIV] testing that we [offer],” Simental said. “It’s going to affect the ability to provide contraception to more women. It’s the preventative health care services that will be affected.”
Simental added, “I think, ultimately, the people who will suffer are our patients. We will definitely, absolutely have to reduce the number of people that we see. That is for sure. That is the part that is upsetting, knowing that at the end of the day it’s our patients that will be affected.”
She said there are wide misconceptions about the range of services that Planned Parenthood offers. As a primary health care center and a community-based clinic, it offers prenatal care and educational programming for people, including teens, about reproductive health and sexually transmitted diseases. According to Simetal, since 1976 the Hyde Amendment has barred the use of federal funds for abortions.
“It’s about advocating right now,” said Simental. “We are making an effort to educate people about the wide range of services that we offer that will be medical and as well as educational.”
The controversy over Planned Parenthood funding will continue April 8 when the U.S. Senate will take up the issue.
A petition to object to the defunding of Planned Parenthood is online.
