N.J. Family Planning Clinics Cut Services Following Christie's Budget Veto

Main Category: Sexual Health / STDs
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 30 Jul 2010 - 2:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

New Jersey's family planning clinics are reducing hours and eliminating services after Gov. Chris Christie (R) on Friday vetoed a bill (S 2139) to restore $7.5 million in funding for women's health services that was cut from the state budget, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The clinics provide preventive and reproductive health care services including birth control, breast exams, Pap tests, sexually transmitted disease screenings and prenatal care. According to the Family Planning Association of New Jersey, the state's clinics served 126,903 women and 9,461 men in 2009. Many of the patients did not have health insurance, the group noted.

In response to the cuts, FamCare Inc. has said it plans to close centers in Millville and Vineland, reduce operations at its Bridgeton clinic from three days weekly to one and cease operations at Rowan University. Planned Parenthood of Southern New Jersey also said it expects patients to travel farther and wait longer following the cuts to its state funding, which represents nearly 25% of the group's budget.

Clare Coleman, head of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association said, "New Jersey has that reputation for being more progressive, and I think for that reason it's been terribly surprising to the service providers in the state, because they feel like they have proven their programs are cost-effective and good for public health." Coleman added that "no other governor has targeted family planning in this way."

State Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D) in a statement Tuesday said the cuts to family planning could force residents to use emergency medical services as their primary health care source. She added, "To deny uninsured and underinsured women access to the same type of preventative treatments women with insurance can receive with a phone call and a doctor's visit is a gross inequity bordering on classism, and we Democrats in the Assembly do not think it should stand" (Rao, Philadelphia Inquirer, 7/28).

Democratic lawmakers have said they intend to overturn Christie's veto (Women's Health Policy Report, 7/26). Overriding a veto would require a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers. While the Senate passed a restoration bill with a veto-proof majority, the Assembly would need to solicit seven Republican votes for the override. A spokesperson for GOP Assembly members declined to indicate whether any Republicans would support a restoration measure (Philadelphia Inquirer, 7/28).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families.

© 2010 National Partnership for Women & Families. All rights reserved.

• Additional
• References
• Citations