Texas' family planning funding cuts have resulted in 160,000 women losing access to critical preventive health services, including STD and cervical cancer screenings, and the shuttering of about 60 women’s health clinics across the state. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, Texas is already home to some of the nation's highest teen birth and unintended pregnancy rates.
In east Austin, a Planned Parenthood clinic that's been receiving state funds to provide care since 1974 no longer has a contract with the state, said Sarah Wheat, vice president for community affairs at Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas, which serves central and north Texas. It's a story that’s repeating itself throughout the state, she told me.
MORE: http://scienceblogs.com/thepumphandle/2012/10/05/texas-family-planning-cuts-dismantling-the-safety-net-for-womens-preventive-care-researchers-chronicle-early-impacts/
