Now that we know the end, let's go back to the beginning. Why did the State of Indiana take money away from Planned Parenthood? Technically, I don't know, in the sense that I can't find a document - a press release, an excerpt of a speech - that spells it out. I think it's fairly safe to guess, however, that we can sum up the decision in two words: Abortion services.
Abortion, after all, was the target of conservative Indiana politicians, who made Indiana the first state to defund Planned Parenthood back in 2011. When (then) Governor Mitch Daniels signed on the dotted line in May of that year, he said, "Any organization affected by this provision can resume receiving taxpayer dollars immediately by ceasing or separating its operations that perform abortions."
Wait, you're thinking. Taxpayer dollars and abortions go together like . . . like . . . Quarter Pounders and vegans, don't they? Because something something something Hyde Amendment? Yup, you're right. And if there's something routinely put in place at the federal level (you must suspect), there's probably something in place at the state level. Hey, right again! But! Many politicians on the right claim that giving any taxpayer money to Planned Parenthood - even for, say, HIV testing, prenatal care, contraception counseling, or a breast exam - funds abortion, because Planned Parenthood cannot keep all the monies apart, no matter what its claims to the contrary. As quoted in Nuvo back in 2011, Indiana State Representative Matt Ubelhor said, "If we're buying the roof over [Planned Parenthood's] head or their paper clips, we're still subsidizing abortion."
Fun side note: The code word you hear for this in political debates is "fungible." It's a cool word, right? Say it in your head. FUN-juh-bull. They use this word to mean that all the money is interchangeabull and interchanged. Oh, sorry, did I say bull again? That was phonetic.
In any case, the courts ruled that the State of Indiana could not in fact cut off Medicaid dollars to Planned Parenthood, because
Although Indiana has broad authority to exclude unqualified providers from its Medicaid program, the State does not have plenary authority to exclude a class of providers for any reason—more particularly, for a reason unrelated to provider qualifications. In this context, 'qualified' means fit to provide the necessary medical services—that is, capable of performing the needed medical services in a professionally competent, safe, legal, and ethical manner. The defunding law excludes Planned Parenthood from Medicaid for a reason unrelated to its fitness to provide medical services, violating its patients' statutory right to obtain medical care from the qualified provider of their choice (emphasis mine)After two years, Indiana gave up. They lost in court, so they abandoned the hope of defunding Planned Parenthood, but their defeat has not stopped other states from pulling the same move. Indeed, Texas went so far as to refuse to fund Planned Parenthood even after the Obama administration cut off their Medicaid funding for denying poor women access to the qualified provider of their choice. And would you like to guess who Ted Cruz blamed for that? Hint: It's Obama. And I don't mean Michelle.
Back in 2013, Rick Santorum said, "Too many in the GOP want to ignore the millions of innocent lives that have been extinguished by this vile organization. Defunding Planned Parenthood is a winning issue. The polls prove it." So even if you don't think Planned Parenthood is a "vile organization," this is a "winning issue" for a Republican. Who could resist?
Well, now we come back to Scott County, Indiana, where the people presently infected with HIV might wonder exactly who is "winning" when Planned Parenthood clinics are closed down. According to this excellent article by Leigh Cowart, the health department in Scott County didn't offer HIV testing until the problem started to draw attention. It's also the case, as asserted by Cowart and backed up here, that "[n]o agency receiving state funds may distribute condoms." You know who did both of those things back in the day? Planned Parenthood. Know what else? Scott County didn't exactly need fewer healthcare options, since their premature death rate is roughly double the Indiana average. You can use that link to see just how much Scott County needed help and support, instead of what they got.
Of course, I'm sure someone would be happy to point out that Hoosiers can get healthcare through the Indiana Family Health Council, which is true, even though they can't offer any help in Scott County, and even though I am mildly concerned to find "withdrawal" listed as a means of birth control on their web site.
That whole contradiction is probably not a big deal, because teenagers never go on the web to get information, right? And even if they do, adolescent Hoosiers surely have a solid backing in sex education that will help them see the error here. As summarized by "sex, etc."
HIV/AIDS and Other STDs Education
- Indiana state law requires STDs and HIV/AIDS education. Local school boards decide which subjects this education must cover and the grade level in which topics are introduced.
- Abstinence must be covered and stressed as the only completely effective protection against unplanned pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and HIV/AIDS when transmitted sexually.
- Teaching about contraceptives, such as condoms, the Pill, or the Patch, is not required.
Add all of this up, and I'm pretty sure everything is just fine.
