Some Planned Parenthood Clinics Closing Due to State Budget Changes

A change in budget formulas at the Michigan Department of Community Health has resulted in a $700,000 cut in state aid to Planned Parenthood of West and Northern Michigan . Clinics in Hart and White Cloud have already closed and others in Mt. Pleasant, Muskegon and Grand Rapids will close by the end of the year.

Officials are concerned that the closings will deny critical services to women in those communities and even increase abortions.

Previously, state aid for family planning services was determined directly by the number of people served by each clinic. Starting this fall, however, the state formula for determining aid is based on the total number of people in each county who live at or below the poverty level. This change resulted in a shift in funding toward counties in the southeast portion of the state, which tend to have higher populations than those in the west and north.

Opponents of abortion reacted exuberantly to the news of the closings. The American Life League web page said:

Continued –

“To date, STOPP (Stop Planned Parenthood) has learned that Michigan has closed four clinics since October 1 and may close an additional three by the end of the year, making a total of seven possible PP (Planned Parenthood} closings in Michigan.

PRAISE GOD!”

But these closings not only will do nothing to reduce abortions but may result in an increase in abortion in those areas. First, none of the clinics being closed performs abortions; in fact, none of the clinics run by Planned Parenthood of West and Northern Michigan affiliates perform abortions. But they do offer a wide range of services that help prevent both unwanted and unhealthy pregnancies, and thus help reduce the incidence of abortion.

Contrary to popular myth, abortion is only a small part of what Planned Parenthood does. Katherine Humphrey, CEO for Planned Parenthood of West and Northern Michigan, notes:

“Planned Parenthood provides a wide range of services. For many of the people we serve, we’re their primary gynecological providers. We provide birth control, screening and treatment for STDs (sexually transmitted diseases), for urinary tract infections, and for upper respiratory tract infections, anti-smoking treatment, prenatal care and much more. Our facilities in West and Northern Michigan do not provide abortions at all, but we do more to prevent the need for abortion than any other organization. These cuts will likely result in more unintended pregnancies and thus more abortions.”

And because the cuts will also reduce the availability of a wide range of other health services to those who can least afford them, particularly in rural communities, the effect on women’s health in those areas may also be significant. Says Humphrey:

“I think it’s hard to underestimate the potentially devastating impacts that these cuts could have on the women, youth and families in our communities, and on the communities at large, both short- and long-term. Without access to subsidized services, many of the people we serve will go without health care and we will see an increase in unintended pregnancies and, in turn, abortions and STDs, undetected cancers, violence in relationships, poverty and a higher rate of infant mortality.”

These cuts may also prove penny wise and pound foolish for the state budget. By reducing the availability of prevention programs, the cost to the state in Medicaid and other health programs in the future may dwarf the short-term savings. The Michigan Department of Community Health’s own recent study showed that reducing unwanted pregnancies by 10 percent would save $27 million in Medicaid costs in just the first year. And that doesn’t count the increased cost of medical care to those denied preventative care, such as screening for breast and cervical cancer and testing for diabetes and hypertension, that these clinics perform.

Humphrey estimates that the closings will reduce the number of women served by her organization by more than 25 percent, denying care to approximately 10,000 women in those parts of the state.