After a legislative session hailed for its supposed “compromise” on abortion, Texas Republicans have taken the first opportunity to force through an omnibus anti-choice bill that contains the worst of this year’s proposed abortion restrictions.
As any woman knows, finding the right gynecologist is no small feat–but finding the “right” gynecologist is taking on a new meaning in Texas, where reproductive health providers must now show that their politics don’t clash with those of conservative lawmakers if they want to continue to see patients in the Texas Women’s Health Program.
Governor Rick Perry pandered to the religious right in favor of a 20-week abortion ban at a crisis pregnancy center this week, touting the horrors of medically unproven “fetal pain” issues, but even right-wing Texas legislative leadership says that anti-choice legislation isn’t the priority for the 2013 lawmaking session.
The new, state-funded Texas Women’s Health Program (WHP) will not launch tomorrow, despite state officials’ earlier claims that the program would be ready to see clients without the inclusion of Planned Parenthood.
A federal appeals court, on which sits a judge that Rush Limbaugh counts on his “team,” has refused to re-hear arguments against Texas’ barring of Planned Parenthood from participation in its Women’s Health Program.
Texas can move forward with excluding Planned Parenthood clinics from its health program for low income women while a lawsuit challenging the law moves forward.
On Monday, Texas Governor Rick Perry rejected two major tenets of the Affordable Care act, saying the state would not participate in the individual state exchanges nor in the Medicaid expansion. What does this mean for a state with the highest rate of uninsured citizens — a state that already rejected federal funds for the Medicaid Women’s Health Program? Experts say the result will be escalating private insurance costs and declining public health.
Texas’ new state-only funded Women’s Health Program, built expressly to exclude Planned Parenthood from participation, has launched a website that’s meant to help low-income women find health care providers. But does it work? And is the capacity there to fill the need? Our analysis indicates the answer is no.
![[img src]](http://rhrealitycheck.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/../../files/teaser-images/2012-04-30-jacobson-187x125.jpg)
A federal judge today blocked the state of Texas from de-funding Planned Parenthood affiliates in the state, and excluding them from participating in Texas’ Women’s Health Program (WHP).
As the State of Texas and Planned Parenthood take their fight for the Women’s Health Program to court, Texas women are left wondering where they will get the health care they need–and when. This is just one woman’s story out of 130,000.
