Fotosearch.com
According to a report to be released by the Guttmacher Institute on February 24, 2009, without publicly funded family planning, the abortion rates would be nearly two-thirds higher, and twice as high among poor women. It asserts that for every dollar spent on family planning programs, it save taxpayers $4 in costs with unintended births.
Democrats in Congress tried to include an expansion of family planning in the economic stimulus bill but that was defeated under Republican criticism. But the fight for more funds is not over as family planning advocates are planning to increase funding for Title X, the main federal family planning program. The hope is to more than double the current funding to $700 million a year.It is expected the President Obama will endorse the action.
Conservatives are against Title X because of the amount of money that goes to Planned Parenthood, a major provider of abortions as well as family planning services. The maintain that the government money frees up other Planned Parenthood funds for abortion services.
The Guttmacher Institute is generally respected by experts and activists who do not share its advocacy of abortion rights. However this report favoring more funding for family planning may not be met with applause.
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