PORTLAND — More than 100 people gathered at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church on Tuesday to protest efforts to cut federal funding for Planned Parenthood and family planning clinics.
The Maine Choice Coalition, which includes the Maine Civil Liberties Union and the Family Planning Association of Maine, organized the event as a decision looms in the U.S. Senate.
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The House of Representatives voted last month to cut off so-called Title X funding, which supports Planned Parenthood and family planning health centers, including 45 centers in Maine.
The proposed cuts, contained in a continuing resolution that would fund the federal government through September, passed by a vote of 240-185. They are supported by anti-abortion lawmakers because Planned Parenthood is a major provider of abortions.
Planned Parenthood is not allowed to use its $75 million in government funding for abortion procedures, but critics argue that funding of its other family planning services indirectly supports abortions. Overall, Title X provides $317 million for family planning services nationwide.
Both of Maine’s House members, Democrats Chellie Pingree and Mike Michaud, voted against the resolution and the amendments to cut federal funding to Title X and Planned Parenthood.
Organizers of Tuesday’s protest urged Maine’s U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins to vote against the cut in funding. The Senate is expected to take up the continuing resolution over the next two weeks.
Kate Brogan of the Family Planning Association of Maine said the health centers provide affordable, primary and preventive health care to 30,000 women, men and teenagers, including breast and cervical cancer screenings, treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, prenatal care for low-income women, and birth control services that help women and teenagers avert unwanted pregnancies.
“Reproductive health care is basic health care for women and teens,” Brogan said. Without the funding for the centers, she said, “Maine’s teen pregnancy rate would be twice what it is today and Maine’s abortion rate would be 86 percent higher.”
Seren Huus of Portland said that while she was growing up in Union, she relied on a rural family planning center to make responsible choices about sex and stay healthy. “The thought of that being cut and for rural families not to have access is very scary for me,” she said.
Family planning advocates said the clinics are the only access to preventive health care for many low-income women.
“We must not allow these attacks on women’s health care and family planning to stand,” said Sarah Standiford, executive director of the Maine Women’s Lobby.
While the spending cuts passed easily in the House, passage is less likely in the Senate. Snowe and Collins are among the Republicans who are expected to oppose the funding cut.
Collins’ office did not immediately respond to a request for a comment. Snowe provided a statement saying she will carefully evaluate all spending measures, but she is strongly committed to women’s health and family planning.
“There is no doubt that we all want to reduce the number of abortions – and I believe better family planning is the constructive way to accomplish that shared goal,” Snowe said.
Staff Writer John Richardson can be contacted at 791-6324 or at: jrichardson@pressherald.com
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