A local Planned Parenthood supporter is speaking out after U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan announced plans to strip federal funding for Planned Parenthood. The move is part of the process Republicans are using to dismantle Obamacare.
"Planned Parenthood is a target, because people have heard of them,” said Katie Klabusich, a freelance writer who describes herself as a “reproductive justice activist.”
Planned Parenthood provides reproductive healthcare to women, including abortions. Klabusich predicts an increase in unplanned pregnancies and STD’s if women do not have access to affordable birth control and screenings.
The defunding effort is a top priority of anti-abortion lawmakers. Planned Parenthood receives government reimbursements from the Medicaid program for non-abortion health care for low-income women. Klabusich writes about the defunding issue often and contends that it has nothing to do with abortion. She says it’s already illegal to use federal money to pay for abortions, under the Hyde Amendment.
"Are they trying to make it double-triple-super illegal for federal funds to go to abortion care?” Klabusich said.
She accuses lawmakers of not knowing what it’s like to be poor and need access to reproductive services provided by Planned Parenthood, which she says is, “known for being a safe place to go."
Political analyst John Dadian says most Republicans support education efforts and family planning, but if Planned Parenthood gets funding for those, it frees up money for abortion, which many oppose.
