Bush's Backwards Budget

The one good thing about President Bush's lastest budget proposal is that it's his last. Earlier this month, the President proposed a budget that would slash Medicaid family planning funding, flat fund Title X (the nation's family planning program) and increase funding for now nearly-infamous abstinence-only programs.

Really, could he have gotten it any more wrong?

The President's budget would cut Medicaid funding for family planning by $3.3 billion over 5 years. That's a devastating cut to the millions of low income women and families that depend on Medicaid support for contraceptives, STD testing and treatment, and preventative reproductive health care.

While Congress was able to push an increase to Title X this last go-round, the program is still vastly under-funded. Flat funding Title X means that our country will continue to fail the seventeen million American women that need publicly-funded family planning services.

At the same time that the President would cut these common sense and proven approaches to health care and preventing unintended pregnancy, he would increase funding for abstinence-only programs. Wouldn't you think that after the 16th Governor rejected funds for abstinence-only programs we could move on already?

The Bush budget goes on to propose other cuts to social programs that could have a dangerous impact on public health. Read more about Bush's backwards budget here.

Technorati tags: Medicaid, Family Planning, Title X, Abstinence-only,Federal Budget, President Bush, Planned Parenthood Action Illinois