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Running head: Policy Analysis 1

Policy Analysis: S.214 Protect Funding for Women's Health Care Act

Griselda Oliveros

Briar Cliff University

Author Note

This analysis talks about Planned Parenthood and S.214.


Policy Analysis 2

Abstract

A general stereotype about Planned Parenthood is that the main service they provide are

abortions.

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Policy Analysis 3

Policy Analysis: S. 241

There are a lot of misconceptions about Planned Parenthood. One that happens to stand

out the most is the wide spread belief that Planned Parenthoods main service is to provide

abortions to women who have an unintended pregnancy. For those who believe that abortion is

not the way to handle an unplanned pregnancy defunding Planned Parenthood seems to be a

widely followed topic. On January 30, 2017 Senator Joni Ernst proposed a bill that would

prohibit federal funding of Planned Parenthood Federation of America or its affiliates,

subsidiaries, successors, or clinics (Congress.org). In this analysis the topic that will be

discussed will be that this bill should not be passed because the funding that goes to Planned

Parenthood mainly goes to other services that they provide.

Planned Parenthood

What is Planned Parenthood? What kind of services do they provide? How did this

agency come into existence? In October 2016, Planned Parenthood turned 100 years strong.

Planned Parenthood was founded on the revolutionary idea that women should have the

information and care they need to live strong, healthy lives and fulfill their dreams no

ceilings, no limits (Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc.). This agency offers more

than just abortions Planned Parenthood also provides services for men. Although they vary by

location some of the services they provide for men are: checkups for reproductive or sexual

health problems, colon, prostate, and testicular cancer screenings, condoms and vasectomy,

erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation services, including education, exams, treatment,

and referral, general health care and routine physical exams, jock itch exam and treatment, male

infertility screening and referral, STD testing and treatment, urinary tract infections testing and

treatment (Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc.)..


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Benefits of Planned Parenthood

One in five American women has chosen Planned Parenthood for health care at least

once in her life(Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc.). The reason for this comes

down to two simple opportunities that they provide: a sliding scale for pricing and the

specialization in the services they provide. Most of the testing Planned Parenthood provides

would be unaffordable and out of reach for the clients who go there. A sliding scale, based on

income, helps the clients not only get the services they need but at an affordable price. What does

specialization in services mean? This means that services like education, exams, treatment, and

referral, general health care and routine physical exams, jock itch exam and treatment, male

infertility screening and referral, STD testing and treatment, urinary tract infections testing and

treatment (Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc) are what their staff are trained to

educate or practice. The staff at Planned Parenthood are different from general practicing doctors

who may or may not have the specialized training to do things like mammograms, Pelvic

exams, Pap tests, and screenings for breast cancer are all vital health care needs for women. And

for women with abnormal Pap test results, tests and treatments used to prevent cervical cancer

colposcopy, cryotherapy, and LEEP can save lives (Planned Parenthood Federation of

America Inc).

Policy: Historical background.

The Roe v Wade case made it possible for women to have the right to have an abortion.

Since then others who view abortion as inhumane or unethical have tried to overturn it, taking

away that right from women who have wanted to get an abortion. We as a pro-life community

honor the civil liberties, independence and strength of a woman - all women, Ernst had said at
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the March for Life on January 27. And that means both supporting mothers and rising up to

protect the most vulnerable in our society - the innocent babies who are unable to defend

themselves. (Catholic News Agency). After learning about the Planned Parenthood officials

apparently engaged in the illegal procurement for sale of human body parts from abortion

(Catholic News Agency) Senator Ernst along with Senator Paul decided to introduce what is now

called S.241 - Protect Funding for Women's Health Care Act.

Policy: Problems that necessitated S.241.

Throughout much of Western history, abortion was not considered a criminal act as long

as it was performed before "quickening" (the first detectable movement of the fetus, which can

occur between 13-25 weeks of pregnancy) (ProCon.org). Yet as time passed the women started

to need more and more abortions. Organizations like Planned Parenthood who came into

existence in 1916 to help women not only get abortions but to also help educate the public about

the options they have when having to go through a pregnancy. As organizations like these grew

so did the number of people who were against abortions. As mentioned before one particular

problem with Planned Parenthood that really caused an uproar was when a claim was made

stating that Planned Parenthood officials apparently engaged in the illegal procurement for sale

of human body parts from abortion (ProCon.org). Yet no evidence was actually found to support

this claim. Those affected by the defunding of Planned Parenthood would be: men and women

who are in lower economic standing. The reason for this is because the services that are made

available there are priced based on a sliding scale. To qualify for the Sliding Fee Scale, you

MUST show proof of gross annual income for all immediate family members living in your

household (The Primary Health).


Policy Analysis 6

Policy: Description of S.241

S.241 - Protect Funding for Women's Health Care Act is a bill that has been introduced to

the senate. This bill aims to prohibit federal funding of Planned Parenthood Federation of

America or its affiliates, subsidiaries, successors, or clinics (congress.gov). The way it is

expected to work is by not giving Planned Parenthood federal funds and instead using the funds

now available to fund other womens health services organizations. The way S.241 would be

implemented would be to withdraw any federal funds from Planned Parenthood Federation of

America, or to any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, successors, or clinics (congress.gov). Instead as

part of the coordination of S.241 All funds no longer available to Planned Parenthood will

continue to be made available to other eligible entities to provide womens health care services

(congress.gov). By providing other eligible entities with the funding that was previously given

to Planned Parenthood the goal of the bill is to give these entities the funds to empower them to

provide services to all persons, regardless of the persons ability to pay, and provide services in

medically underserved areas and to medically underserved populations as they already do. As

for how a sunset law may apply to this it is not clear yet because no revisions have been made to

the bill regarding that. The knowledge base that this policy rests on is Pro-Life movement.

Senator Ernst and those who support this bill believe that abortions are wrong and should not be

made available to women who are seeking one.

Policy: Policy Analysis

The goal of S.241 is not currently legal due to the fact that it goes against the

Constitutions protection of a woman's right to an abortion (law.cornell.edu). Yet the goal is just

and democratic because it is defending the rights of the unborn child. In one way this bill does

contribute to greater social equality because it gives the unborn child a chance to live and be a
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part of society. On the other hand it does violate the mothers right to choose whether she would

like to continue her pregnancy or not. This bill positively affects the agencies who would be

given the funds taken from Planned Parenthood because they would be able to provide current

and new clients with more services. As for Planned Parenthood it would leave them with less

funds to perform the services they currently provide. The target population in this case would be

low income men and women who seek low cost medical services. The only way this population

would benefit from this bill would be if the other agencies would lower their prices and provide

more specialized services for their clients. This bill does not contribute to positive social

relations between the target population and the overall society. The reason why is because

abortion is such a controversial topic, there are those who are in favor of womens right to

choose and there are those who are against it. S. 241 is not consistent with the values of

professional social work. In our ethical commitment to our clients, 1.02, it says Social workers

respect and promote the right of clients to self-determination and assist clients in their efforts to

identify and clarify their goals (Socialworkers.org). It is a social workers duty to show their

clients all of their options, not just the ones the social worker agrees with. This bill will limit the

client from choosing the one that they may need. S.241 is not politically feasible, the reason why

is because everyone has their own viewpoint on abortion and on how it should be done. The

policy would not be effective or efficient because it would limit the lower income population

from receiving the services they need.

Conclusion.

When does a zygote become a human being? When should the fetus be considered

someone worth saving? Should the expecting mother be given the right to choose? One way to

prevent the need for abortions is by educating people not only the options they have but by
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showing them the consequences of each. Defunding Planned Parenthood would make it difficult

for this organization to provide the tools necessary to the public. A more effective way to restrict,

yet still fund, Planned Parenthood would be to set certain guidelines and restrictions on who may

and may not get an abortion. The topic of abortion and the rights of an unborn child will remain

controversial for many years to come.


Policy Analysis 9

References

Last Name, F. M. (Year). Article Title. Journal Title, Pages From - To.

Last Name, F. M. (Year). Book Title. City Name: Publisher Name

Ernst, Joni. (2017). S.241 - Protect Funding for Women's Health Care Act. Retrieved

from: https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/241/text?q=%7B%22search

%22%3A%5B%22%5C%22immigration%5C%22+%5C%22iowa%5C%22%22%5D%7D

Catholic News Agency. (2017). Senate bill would move womens health funding away

from Planned Parenthood. Retrieved from: https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-

usa/2017/02/06/senate-bill-move-womens-health-funding-away-planned-parenthood/

Dryfoos, J. (1988). Family Planning Clinics--A Story of Growth and Conflict. Family

Planning Perspectives, 20(6), 282-287. doi:10.2307/2135484

Laura, D. L., Frost, J. J., Sten, C., & Dailard, C. (2006). The provision and funding of

contraceptive services at publicly funded family planning agencies: 1995-2003. Perspectives on

Sexual and Reproductive Health, 38(1), 37-45. Retrieved from

https://briarcliff.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/224546673?

accountid=9720

Annas, George J. & Mariner, Wendy K. (2011). Women and Children Last The

Predictable Effects of Proposed Federal Funding Cuts. Retrieved from:

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmp1102915#t=article

Procon.org. (2016). Background of the Issue. Retrieved from:

http://abortion.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=006514

Cummings, Elijah. (n.d) The FACTS vs. FICTION on Planned Parenthood. Retrieved

from: https://democrats-oversight.house.gov/planned-parenthood-fact-v-fiction#_ftn1
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Primary Health.net. (n.d) Sliding fee Scale. Retrieved from: https://primary-

health.net/SlidingScale.aspx

Law.cornell.edu. (1973). Roe v. Wade. Retrieved from:

https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/roe_v._wade_1973

National Association of Social Workers. (2017) Code of Ethics. Retrieved from:

http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/Code/code.asp

1. Abstract
a. Stereotype about planned parenthood
b. Describe what planned parenthood is
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c. Briefly describe law.


d. In this analysis I will be talking about:
2. Introduction

3. What is planned parenthood?


a. Explanation (inception)
i. History
b. List of services provided
4. Benefits of Planned parent hood
a. Price
i. Sliding scale
b. Specialization
i. Referred by general doctors
5. Policy
a. Historical background
i. Problems that led to the original creation of S 241
ii. Importance of the problems historically
iii. Original management of the problems
iv. Historical background of S 241 including original date of the
establishment of the policy- passage or legislation
v. Legislative history
b. Problems that necessitated S 241
i. The parameters of the problem
ii. Nature, scope, and magnitude of the problem
iii. Populations affected by S 241
1. Numbers
2. Who?
3. How?
iv. Causes of the problem
c. Description of S 241
i. In what ways is it expected to work
ii. Resources or opportunities S 241 will provide
1. Power, cash, economic opportunity, in-kind services,
redistribution, goods and services, etc.
iii. Who is covered by S 241 and how
iv. In what ways is S 241 implemented, including coordination
v. Expected short and long term goals and outcomes of S 241
vi. The administrative auspices under which S 241 is lodged, including the
roles of the private sector and local, state and federal governments in its
development
vii. The funding mechanism for the policy, including short and long term
funding commitments
viii. The agencies or organizations with overall responsibility
ix. Formal or informal criteria to be used to determine effectiveness of S
241
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x. Expected duration of S 241- sunset laws


xi. Knowledge base or scientific grounding on which the policy rests
d. Policy analysis
i. Are goal of S 241 legal?
ii. Are goals just and democratic?
iii. Contribute to greater social equality?
iv. Positively affect the redistribution of income, resources, right,
entitlements, rewards, opportunities and status?
v. Contribute to a better quality of life for the target population?
vi. Will goals adversely affect the quality of life for the target population?
vii. Does S 241 contribute to positive social relations between the target
population and the overall society?
viii. Are the goals of S 241 consistent with the values of professional social
work
ix. Is the policy politically feasible?
x. Economically feasible?
xi. Will policy be effective?
xii. Will policy be efficient?
xiii. Are there alternative policies competing with S 241
6. Conclusion

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