prolongedeyecontact:

Arizona is the latest battleground in the conservative war on women as the state legislature appears poised to strip funding from the women’s health care provider Planned Parenthood.

Earlier this week, an Arizona Senate panel approved HB 2800 on a party-line vote. The Arizona Senate Committee on Healthcare and Medical Liability Reform’s move came on the heels of support from the Arizona House, which approved the legislation earlier this month.

If HB 2800 is indeed passed by the full Senate, Gov. Jan Brewer (R) is expected to sign the legislation into law, stripping state funding from any group such as Planned Parenthood that performs abortions.

Unfortunately, the move would have a pronounced impact on poorer Arizona women who rely on places like Planned Parenthood for many of their health care needs. As the following chart shows, abortion accounts for just 3 percent of the patient care provided by Planned Parenthood. The other 97 percent included mammograms, STI treatment, and other health services.

If passed, Arizona will join a growing list of Republican-led states to cut funding for Planned Parenthood. The largest was Texas, who last year stripped the women’s health provider of approximately $47 million in state funds. As a result, 12 clinics were forced to shut their doors, many in rural areas with few other health care providers. Other states, such as New Jersey and Wisconsin, have taken away funds as well.

Former Surgeon General Richard Carmona, who is running for Arizona’s open U.S. Senate seat, criticized the state legislature, calling the Senate panel’s approval was an “extremely misguided” decision. “As a longtime health care professional,” Carmona told ThinkProgress, “I can say without hesitation that restricting access to reproductive health care is detrimental to the health and safety of women. Period.”

Arizona state law already prohibits using tax dollars for abortions. The real effect of HB 2800 would be to take away necessary health care services to low-income Arizonans.

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*Not just cis women utilize the reproductive health services of PP.

Here comes broken-record Jasper. Planned Parenthood is a vital resource, especially for low-income people and people of color.

Women’s Health [people other than “women” can and do utilize these services]

Includes:

• birth control
• emergency contraception
• checkups for reproductive and sexual health problems
• gynecological exams
• pregnancy tests and pre-natal care
• routine physical exams

Men’s Health [people other than “men” can and do utilize these services]

Includes:

• checkups for reproductive or sexual health problems
• colon cancer screening 
• erectile dysfunction services, including education, exams, treatment, and referral 
• jock itch exam and treatment 
• male infertility screening and referral 
• premature ejaculation services, including education, exams, treatment, and referral 
• routine physical exams 
• testicular cancer screenings 
• prostate cancer screenings 
• urinary tract infections testing and treatment 
• vasectomy

General Health Care

Includes:

• anemia testing 
• cholesterol screening 
• diabetes screening
• physical exams, including for employment and sports
• flu vaccines
• help with quitting smoking
• high blood pressure screening
• tetanus vaccines
• thyroid screening
• STD testing, treatment, and vaccines

In addition:

• Planned Parenthood health centers focus on prevention: 76 percent of our clients receive services to prevent unintended pregnancy.
• Planned Parenthood services help prevent more than 584,000 unintended pregnancies each year.
• Planned Parenthood provides nearly 770,000 Pap tests and nearly 750,000 breast exams each year, critical services in detecting cancer.
• Planned Parenthood provides more than four million tests and treatments for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.
• Three percent of all Planned Parenthood health services are abortion services.
• Planned Parenthood affiliates provide educational programs to more than 1.1 million young people and adults each year.

Also see this pdf.

But, yeah, defunding Planned Parenthood is the epitome of pro-life.