Texas Women's Health Program

A hot Texas topic currently is the conflict between Governor Perry and the Obama administration over the Women's Health Program and the funding for women's health care in Texas. The Obama Administration made a decision to end the Women's Health Program, which provides preventative health care to over 100,000 low-income Texas women. Governor Perry says that decision was made by the Administration because Texas law prevents this federal funding from going to providers that include abortion services, such as Planned Parenthood. Perry has written a letter of protest to the Administration and has also made clear that Texas will continue to fund these services, with or without the federal government. This implies that Texas will have to come up with other budget cuts to cover the the loss of federal funds.

Much of the reaction has been a heated attack on Perry, accusing him of conducting a “war on women”. Even republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is criticizing Governor Perry's position. Media coverage tends to be one sided, as for example, the Houston Chronicle in the article Perry: How to fundWomens's Health Program? No taxes. No Rainy Day Fund. The one sided coverage leads to the destortion of facts and a biased presentation. It becomes all the more important for citizens to research behind the facts themselves. Looking into it myself, I have found that I disagree more with what Obama is doing than what is being said of Perry's actions. Obama is scratching the funds of the Women's Health Program for the sake of the less than 2% of providers that cover abortions, thereby withdrawing funds from the other 98% of providers that are serving low-income women for a variety of medical needs. Also, under federal law states have the right to set the criteria for “qualified providers”, and yet Obama is punishing Texas for not including pro-abortion providers. Senator Hutchison seems to be endorsing his attack. It seems that Texas women's health care overall is being threatened because of Obama's militantly pro-abortion agenda.

http://governor.state.tx.us/news/bills/
http://governor.state.tx.us/news/press-release/17020/