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Obama's Budget: Shortchanging Women's Health?
Tweet Share on Facebook May 8, 2009 Comment (11)While women's health activists were pleased to see that President Obama ended funding for abstinence-only education, they're sharply critical of other aspects of his planned budget, leading me to believe that the 100-day honeymoon is over. The Center for Reproductive Rights issued a statement saying the group is "deeply disappointed with President Obama's failure to strike government funding restrictions on abortion." Planned Parenthood says the budget "misses an opportunity to build on one of the nation's most effective programs in reducing unintended pregnancies"—namely the Title X program that funds family-planning clinics for poor women who don't have health insurance. Besides ending funding for abstinence-only education programs and providing $178 million for evidence-based comprehensive sex-ed programs, the new 2010 budget:
- Includes an increase of $10 million in Title X family planning programs. That doesn't keep pace with inflation, according to women's health experts, who were hoping for a $400 million increase.
- Includes an option for states to expand programs for family planning to families who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford health insurance—up to $37,000 in yearly income. A Guttmacher Institute study finds this option would enable 500,000 women a year to avoid unplanned pregnancies.
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Obama Budget Eliminates Funding for Abstinence-Only Sex Education
Tweet Share on Facebook May 7, 2009 Comment (52)President Obama today unveiled a budget for fiscal year 2010 that is sure to have some reproductive health activists cheering as he continues to fulfill the predictions I made for women's health policies when he was first elected. The new budget eliminates federal funding for the teaching of abstinence-only sex education in schools.
[Read about Bristol Palin's push for abstinence.]
Instead of promoting abstinence ed, Obama is proposing a new teen pregnancy prevention initiative that supports "evidence-based" and "promising" models. Once again, Obama is reversing policies set in place under President Bush, who asked for more than $100 million in funds last year for abstinence-only programs. Several states opted to turn down federal funds rather than be forced to forgo contraception education in public schools.
The new budget includes $50 million in funds for states to use for teen pregnancy prevention programs. What's not clear, though, is which comprehensive sex education programs will be funded. There's quite a bit of difference among them, with some far better than others. It's also not clear how "evidence-based" will be defined. Just how many studies are needed to determine if a program is effective? And how few are needed to deem a program "promising"? You can see the full budget here; scroll down to page 39 to see the part about teen pregnancy programs.
[Find details of the full debate over sex education.]
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Recession's Impact on Women's Health
Tweet Share on Facebook May 7, 2009 Comment (5)Sure, we're worried about the economy, but just how much of an impact is it having on women's health? Actually, quite a lot, according to some new polls. One—a Gallup survey of 1,031 women ages 18 to 44 conducted for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists—suggests that a growing number of us are putting off having babies and have become more careful about taking our birth control pills. One in five women says she's more worried today about having an unintended pregnancy than she was a year ago; a full 17 percent of married women say they've put off plans to have a baby as a result of the economy.
More worrisome, the survey also showed that 1 in 7 women has postponed her annual ob-gyn checkup because of economic woes, which means a lot of women aren't getting Pap smears or breast exams. I'm guessing many of them lost their health insurance along with their employment, and I can't help but wonder what impact this will have in terms of missed early detection of cervical cancers and breast cancers in addition to other health troubles. In fact, 15 percent of women also reported that they've cut back on medications because of their cost, which means they're playing a game of russian roulette with their health.
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Bristol Palin: Poster Child for Teen Pregnancy Prevention
Tweet Share on Facebook May 6, 2009 Comment (5)Bristol Palin is hitting the airwaves today, appearing on both the Today show and Good Morning America in recognition of the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. She's calling for all teens to abstain from sex. Her father, who was also interviewed, says he's hoping other teens will learn from "the mistake she made a year ago." I'm guessing Todd Palin probably regrets his word choice, but the message he and his daughter are sending is a good one: Being a mom drastically alters a teen's life and cuts short her childhood.
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy agrees. The group is working with Bristol on a national campaign to educate kids about teen pregnancy—how diaper changes and midnight feedings can be a real drag. The organization issued press releases back in September, when it was first announced that the Republican vice presidential candidate had a pregnant daughter, and then again in December when Bristol gave birth, calling for parents to use this "opportunity to talk to their own children about sex, love, and relationships, as well as the value of delaying pregnancy and childbearing until adulthood." But it's a strange sort of coupling, given that the organization promotes comprehensive sex education in schools, an issue vehemently opposed by Sarah Palin on the campaign trail.
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Can Alternative Remedies Prevent Swine Flu?
Tweet Share on Facebook May 1, 2009 Comment (13)I've received numerous news releases over the past few days from companies hoping I would tout the benefits of their swine-flu-fighting products. One was hawking a "flu safety kit," a small, snap-closed bag that contained tissues, disinfecting wipes, and a small bottle of hand sanitizer, all for just $5.77, plus shipping and handling. A press release from Consumer Reports tells me that the right face mask can help prevent the spread swine flu, provided I get one that's labeled N-95 or higher, a standard set by the Food and Drug Administration that ensures the filter blocks viruses from passing through. Another press release from Ice-Qube advertised masks, four for $4.99 or 10 for $9.99—not such a bad deal, until I query the company and find out that the masks don't meet the FDA standard.
At the moment, I'm not game for these products. I can buy a small bottle of hand sanitizer at my local drugstore for 95 cents, and I'm not ready to don a face mask—provided I can even find an appropriate one. I might, though, be willing to try some lifestyle remedies to boost my immune system, provided they actually worked.
I received an E-mail from Maharishi Ayurveda Products International that promised "ancient, time-tested knowledge" for strengthening my body's defenses against the flu, including things like eating warm foods or certain spices. While Ayurvedic medicine has been practiced in India for several thousand years, "time-tested" doesn't mean tested and shown to be efficacious in an actual scientific study.
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