Sofia Resnick of the American Independent recently wrote an article on the impending family planning cuts. Her article suggests that the proposed cuts would disproportionately affect low-income Latinas' access to reproductive care.
Such budget cuts will perhaps affect Texas more than any other state. Latino's currently make up more than 37% of the Texas population. Patricio Gonzales, CEO and President of the Hidalgo County Planned Parenthood Association, believes that the impending cuts would force him to close 8 of his 10 clinics, affecting approximately 18,000 women (and their families). These women will then be denied low-cost contraception, gynecological exams, testing for STDs and family-planning education (Resnick, 2011).
The same budget cuts would subtract around $500 million from the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program, which provides federal grants to states for health care referrals, nutrition education for low-income pregnant women, breastfeeding programs, and nutrtion assistance for children up to 5 years old (refer to the earlier post "Barriers to Prenatal Care" for more information about WIC). This compounds the problems that will low-income Latina women will encounter to find healthcare services, deleting another avenue to care for themselves and their children.
It is obvious that these cuts would block another resource for low-income ethnic minority women, only exacerbating their ability to receive adequate healthcare. What may be framed as "necessary budget cuts" can also be interpreted as a discrete form of institutional racism. This becomes another obstacle towards social mobility and instead encourages the cycle of poverty. Healthcare services are necessary to prevent further health complications for mothers and their children. Prenatal care, family planning, and cancer screenings are effective preventative measures which will eventually save our nation and state large sums of money. Legislators fail to realize that continued "band-aid solutions" will not allow the wound to heal.
Such budget cuts will perhaps affect Texas more than any other state. Latino's currently make up more than 37% of the Texas population. Patricio Gonzales, CEO and President of the Hidalgo County Planned Parenthood Association, believes that the impending cuts would force him to close 8 of his 10 clinics, affecting approximately 18,000 women (and their families). These women will then be denied low-cost contraception, gynecological exams, testing for STDs and family-planning education (Resnick, 2011).
The same budget cuts would subtract around $500 million from the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program, which provides federal grants to states for health care referrals, nutrition education for low-income pregnant women, breastfeeding programs, and nutrtion assistance for children up to 5 years old (refer to the earlier post "Barriers to Prenatal Care" for more information about WIC). This compounds the problems that will low-income Latina women will encounter to find healthcare services, deleting another avenue to care for themselves and their children.
It is obvious that these cuts would block another resource for low-income ethnic minority women, only exacerbating their ability to receive adequate healthcare. What may be framed as "necessary budget cuts" can also be interpreted as a discrete form of institutional racism. This becomes another obstacle towards social mobility and instead encourages the cycle of poverty. Healthcare services are necessary to prevent further health complications for mothers and their children. Prenatal care, family planning, and cancer screenings are effective preventative measures which will eventually save our nation and state large sums of money. Legislators fail to realize that continued "band-aid solutions" will not allow the wound to heal.
To learn more about health issues for Latina Women, go to the National Latina Institute for Latina Health website.
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