Tell Congress to Support Funding for Preventive Services

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Tell Congress to Support Funding for Preventive Services

President Bush's proposed budget for fiscal year (FY) 2009 includes devastating cuts to Medicaid family planning funding and fails to adequately fund Title X family planning programs, while increasing funding for ineffective abstinence-only sex education programs.

The President's budget represents a misguided approach to our nation's health care priorities.

Please help send a clear message to Congress that increasing funding for programs that do not work, while decreasing funding for programs that are proven to be effective, is not best for the health of our country.

Tell your Congressmembers to support full funding for proven preventive services!

With the recent rise in teen birth rates and more people losing health insurance, increased spending for important safety-net programs is vital to the health of our communities and families.

The President's drastic proposals would do nothing more than increase the number of unintended pregnancies and the rate of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS.

Ask your Congressmembers to take a stand against the President's misguided priorities today!

Thank You!

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Support Funding for Preventive Services

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

The President's budget threatens to cut funding for Medicaid family planning services by $570 million in FY2009 and $3.3 billion over five years. The budget also flat funds Title X family planning programs at FY2008 levels, but increases funding for ineffective abstinence-only sex education by $28 million.

As your constituent, I strongly urge you to support women and oppose these disastrous funding cuts by fully funding Medicaid and Title X family planning programs.

In addition, I urge you to oppose the funding increase for dangerous abstinence-only sex education programs, which have been proven unsuccessful in protecting teens against unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STI's).

Medicaid, Title X family planning programs, and comprehensive sex education are essential in helping women stay healthy and avoid unintended pregnancies, approximately half of which end in an abortion every year.

I strongly urge you to take a stand against the President's misguided priorities.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
March 03, 2008

Background Information

The President's FY2009 budget proposes cutting Medicaid funding for family planning by $570 million in (fiscal year) FY2009 and by $3.3 billion over five years. This would have a devastating effect on the millions of low-income women who rely on Medicaid for contraception and other preventive family planning services. The President's drastic proposal would do nothing more than increase the number of unintended pregnancies and the rate of sexually transmitted infections (STI's), including HIV/AIDS.

In addition, the President's budget proposes to flat-fund America's family planning program, despite the fact that Title X is drastically underfunded. Seventeen million women need publicly funded family planning services. Funding for Title X family planning should be increased by $100 million in FY2009 to begin to fill this gap and meet the needs of the millions of women who need access to family planning services.

In another example of the backward budget, the President wants to cut the overall budget, but insists on increasing funding for ineffective abstinence-only sex education programs by $27.7 million, a 24% increase! A recent congressional study on abstinence-only programs found they had no measurable impact on increasing abstinence or delaying sexual initiation. To read the study, visit http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/publications/PDFs/impactabstinence.pdf.

Also, for the first time in 14 years, the teen birth rate has risen. In the last spending bill, Congress sent the President a strong message by providing no new funding for dangerous abstinence-only programs. Yet, the President continues to fail our teens by refusing to fund comprehensive sex education while stubbornly increasing funding for dangerous programs that don't work.