President Obama and his allies have spent weeks accusing their opponents of waging a “war on women.” However, the President is threatening to defund an entire women’s health initiative in Texas if the state doesn’t fund Planned Parenthood.
The Medicaid Women’s Health Program (WHP) in Texas provides preventative health services to hundreds of thousands of women in Texas. The services are focused on preventive care such as contraceptives, STD testing, and screening for hypertension, diabetes, and cancer. The State Legislature has repeatedly renewed the program with strong bipartisan support for many years.
This year, Texas will renew the program without funding Planned Parenthood, which accounted for roughly 10% of the program in the past. As a result, President Obama has threatened to deny renewal of the program if funding to Planned Parenthood is not restored.
By doing so, the President is threatening to deny healthcare to over 100,000 Texans in order to protect Planned Parenthood. Federal laws allow Texas to deny funds to healthcare providers who perform elective abortions, but the President is still threatening to shut down the program. Given that he threatened to shut down the entire federal government to protect Planned Parenthood, this is no surprise. The President continues to prove that there is no length he will not go to protect Planned Parenthood, no matter who suffers as a result.
