FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 3, 2015
Contact: Audrey Sandusky, 202-344-5805, asandusky@nfprha.org  

Senate Vote to Reject Ernst Bill is a Victory for Women’s Health

WASHINGTON, DC –The National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA) issued the following statement after the Senate voted to block consideration of a bill introduced by Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) today that would have prohibited Planned Parenthood from participating in the Title X family planning program or receiving any other federal funds, which is attributed to NFPRHA’s President & CEO, Clare Coleman. 

“Today’s vote is a victory for the millions of women and men who rely on the family planning safety net every year and the trusted providers who care for them. While the effort to defund Planned Parenthood has been defeated this evening, anti-family planning members in Congress have pledged to attach similar language to must-pass bills in the fall, even threatening to shut down the federal government to achieve their goal. 

“These attempts continue despite the fact that federal law already prohibits Title X family planning funds from being used to provide abortion services, and federal funding for abortion through Medicaid is severely limited by the Hyde Amendment. The overwhelming majority of the federal funds Planned Parenthood receive, through Title X, Medicaid, and other sources, instead go toward 500,000 breast exams, contraception for almost 2.2 million patients, nearly 400,000 cervical cancer screenings, and 4.5 million tests and treatments for STIs and HIV each year.

“A recent opinion poll conducted by NFPRHA found women are three times more likely to support a member of Congress who wants to increase federal funding for family planning than a member of Congress who wants to cut funding. And yet — as this latest attack on Planned Parenthood demonstrates — many members of Congress continue their attempts to dismantle the publicly funded family planning network. 

“Congress made the right decision today to protect the provider network that delivers high-quality family planning and sexual health care, and we are counting on our champions on the Hill to continue to do so in the future.” 

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NFPRHA represents the broad spectrum of family planning administrators and clinicians serving the nation's low-income and uninsured. NFPRHA’s nearly 900 member organizations operate or fund a network of nearly 5,000 health centers and service sites that provide comprehensive family planning services to millions of low-income and uninsured or underinsured individuals in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam.