By Denise Richardson
Staff Writer
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Doors to area Planned Parenthood offices could close under pending legislation that would cut federal funding, an executive with the local office said Monday.
Debra Marcus, chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood of South Central New York, said local services for family planning and health care would be lost if the Pence Amendment, which is part of a continuing appropriations resolution, is passed by the Senate. And local staff could lose their jobs, she said.
Under an amendment sponsored by Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., funding to Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc. would be prohibited. The amendment and a funding resolution including it passed in the House of Representatives last week.
The cuts would be devastating, Marcus said. The impact will hurt the working poor and others without private health care insurance who can least afford to be without services offered by Planned Parenthood, she said.
"All we'd be doing is pulling the safety net out from these people," Marcus said. When people lose health care services, they also can lose their jobs, she said.
But the pro-life contingent of the U.S. population has increased, and it's time to "defund Planned Parenthood," Jean Jones of Afton said Wednesday.
The good services that Planned Parenthood provides don't make up for its practices in connection with abortions and finding ways to avoid reporting rape cases, Jones said Wednesday.
Marcus said more than 10,000 men, women and teenagers seek services at Planned Parenthood offices in Otsego, Delaware, Chenango and Broome counties, and of those, 50 percent are Medicaid recipients.
The budget for the local Planned Parenthood unit is about $3.5 million annually, of which about $1.25 million is federal money in the Title X program and in Medicaid, she said.
Planned Parenthood of South Central New York has about 50 employees and offices in Oneonta, Sidney, Norwich, Walton and Binghamton, Marcus said, and if half the unit's funding were lost, "we could not keep our doors open."
Millions of Medicaid recipients use Planned Parenthood nationally, Marcus said, and locally, Medicaid accounts for about $600,000 of the budget. About 15 percent of the unit's patients have private health care insurance.
Local Planned Parenthood representatives have contacted congressmen to encourage continued funding, Marcus said, and constituents are urged to contact lawmakers and share their support for Planned Parenthood.
In the House, the vote approving the Pence amendment Friday was 240 yes to 185 no. From New York, Chris Gibson, R-Kinderhook, voted yes, and no votes were cast by Richard Hanna, R-Barneveld, and Maurice Hinchey, D-Liberty.
Marcus said U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand have been champions of family planning, and now is a good time to contact them and say "thank you" for their support.
Planned Parenthood provides affordable access to health care services including cancer screenings, tests for sexually transmitted diseases and contraception, Marcus said. Also, she said, it reaches thousands more residents through educational programs that provide information crucial to reducing risky behaviors.
