David Mcnew / Getty Images
Government funding for Planned Parenthood's supply of STD testing kits has suddenly dried up in Georgia, state and Planned Parenthood officials told BuzzFeed News. The funding cut comes shortly after Georgia Governor Nathan Deal ordered a state review of the non-profit.
At the beginning of the second week of August, Planned Parenthood clinics in Georgia reportedly noticed that they not receiving their usual supply of testing kits for sexually transmitted diseases, the Atlanta Journal-Consitution reported.
The Georgia Department of Public Health usually supplies the test kits for chlamydia and gonorrhea to Planned Parenthood clinics across Georgia as "part of its work to eliminate or reduce STDs in the state," Georgia DPH spokesperson Nancy Nydam told BuzzFeed News.
The DPH attributed the lack of supplies due to a funding cut from the Federal Center for Disease and Control. A spokesperson from the CDC denied responsibility for theses funds, saying it was the state's responsibility.
Nydam's full statement to BuzzFeed News read:
The Georgia Department of Public Health provided test kits for chlamydia and gonorrhea to Planned Parenthood as part of its work to eliminate or reduce STDs in the state. Funding from the CDC that was, in part, used to provide these kits was cut and as a result the decision was made to use resources elsewhere. There was no contractual agreement with Planned Parenthood to supply these testing kits, rather it was part of DPH’s overall outreach to eliminate or reduce STDs in Georgia.
A spokesperson for the CDC, who said that her contract prevented her from letting news sources use her name, told BuzzFeed News the money they give to the DPH was "never intended to be the sole funding for this program."
"The CDC does not provide a specific award for STD testing kits, this is the states' money to use as they wish," she said. The spokesperson added that there was a slight decrease in the over $3 million budget this year, but that the money was meant to cover four years of programs and "not earmarked for anything specific."
Planned Parenthood Georgia's Director of Communication, Helen Cox, told BuzzFeed News, "I don't believe it was a matter of funding," Cox told BuzzFeed News. "The timing is too suspicious. I think it was politically motivated."
Davis Turner / Getty Images
The sudden cut comes as state and federal politicians around the nation are threatening to defund Planned Parenthood. The rhetoric is fueled by a series of sting videos – secretly filmed by the Center for Medical Progress – of Planned Parenthood doctors discussing fees for supplying fetal tissue to biotech companies.
In mid-July, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal joined 11 other states in an investigation of Planned Parenthood as a result of the videos. Planned Parenthood Southeast, the affiliate that controls Georgia's Planned Parenthood clinics, does not participate provide fetal tissue to biotech companies.
Planned Parenthood did not respond to a request to specify exactly when their supply of STD tests were cut off – the first article reporting the cut was published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Monday and followed up with another on Tuesday. President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Southeast Staci Fox responded to the story in a statement to BuzzFeed News:
We are cooperating with Governor Deal’s investigation and look forward to putting any unfounded and inflammatory allegations behind us," she said. "Meanwhile, we are exploring all options to protect the ability of Alabama women to get care ... We urge our leaders to put politics aside and to put the women and families in our communities first.
In 2013, Georgia was rated by the CDC as by having the top five highest rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea in America. According to the Center for Reproductive Rights, in 2014 more than 1.2 million women were in need of affordable contraception in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi.
LINK: Senate Fails To Pass Bill To Defund Planned Parenthood
LINK: California Planned Parenthood Centers Don’t Profit From Providing Fetal Tissue, Contractor Says
from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/1Tn7n2E
No comments:
Post a Comment