NARAL Pro-Choice Montana: P.O. Box 279 Helena, MT  59624 406.443.0276 prochoice@mt.net

 

Pattison Amendment to HB 2.

(HB 2 is the bill that funds all state agencies, programs and workers.)

Rep. Jeff Pattison (R-Glasgow) proposed an amendment to HB 2 in conference committee prohibiting clinics that provide abortions from receiving any Title X money. This was another attempt to defund Planned Parenthood clinics throughout the state.

In actuality, this amendment would have only prevented the provision of the Title X

program, which does not include abortion. It would have hurt thousands of low-income and uninsured women by eliminating their primary provider of preventative reproductive health care. Pattison withdrew the amendment due to lack of support from the committee and community outrage demonstrated by the dozens of letters, e-mails and phone calls from NARAL members, activists and allies.

This amendment was withdrawn in committee and never went to a floor vote.

Why NARAL Pro-Choice Montana opposed this amendment:  Each public dollar spent to provide family planning services saves an estimated $3.00 that would otherwise be spent in Medicaid costs for pregnancy related care and medical care for newborns.  In addition, preventative health care saves the state money by addressing medical needs before people reach a crisis situation and end up in our hospital emergency rooms.  This amendment was meant to attack Planned Parenthood.  In the end, the real victims would be the thousands of low-income people served by the Title X programs.

Talking Points:

• In many jurisdictions, there are no other health care providers who would be able or willing to fill the void created by the termination of contracts with existing family planning providers.
  
• Since 20% of Montanans have no health insurance, it is not uncommon for Planned Parenthood to be the sole healthcare provider for low-income women and their families.
  
• This amendment would cut off Title X funding for the largest provider of these services including breast & cervical cancer screening, pregnancy tests, contraceptive services & supplies, sex education, and screening and treatment for sexually transmitted infections.
  
• This amendment would have cut off vital prevention services and educational programs in more than 14 Montana communities.  Planned Parenthood has clinics in Helena, Great Falls, Missoula and Billings.  They also have satellite sites in White Sulphur Springs, Conrad, Fort Benton, Forsyth, Choteau, Shelby, Poplar, Wolf Point, Culbertson, and Plentywood.  They also provide services throughout the state through classroom education programs, parent/child workshops, health fairs, and training institutes.
  
• The county health departments would have seen a four-fold increase in their caseloads, which would have translated into a need for a substantial increase in staff and funding.  Commissioners from Yellowstone and Lewis & Clark County helped to oppose this amendment.

 

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