Family Planning Services Bill on Governor Schwarzenegger's Desk--"One of the Most Important of the Year"--The Cost of Doing Noth

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Perata Speaks Directly with the Governor on SB 94

Shannon Smith-Crowley of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, speaking yesterday in support of SB 94 with Carla Kakutani, MD, California Academy of Family Physicians, Kathy Kneer of Planned Parenthood, Mandy Benson, President of the California Chapter of the National Women's Caucus, Senator Don Perata and others listening.

By Frank D. Russo

It's not a lot of money compared with the billions of dollars that normally make the headlines from Sacramento, but the $3.2 million dollars in SB 94 (Kuehl) for family planning is needed to prevent unwanted pregnancies, thousands of human tragedies, and to deal with the increased rats of sexually transmitted diseases form Chlamydia to gonorrhea to HIV/AIDS. And from a purely fiscal standpoint it makes sense--it will no only draw down $9 million in federal matching funds, but will save California's taxpayers many more times moreover from what we will otherwise have to pay for in dealing with problems at the "back end" that are preventable.

Clinics throughout California are turning away 10,000 patients a month because they simply don't have the capacity to provide these preventive health care services.

California has the 7th highest teenage pregnancy rate of any state. According to the Public Health Institute's report, No Time for Complacency: Teen Births in California, the costs of teen births alone are more than $1.5 billion each year and when total societal costs are taken into account, costs associated with these teen births in this state are $3.4 billion.

You would think it would be a "no brainer" for the Governor to sign the bill, but its supporters are not sure. It passed both houses of the legislature with all Democrats present voting for it, but with the vote of only one Republican out of 47--Senator Aanestad.. So they appeared in the state Capitol with President pro Tem Don Perata to move it up into the public's consciousness and to solicit support.

Kathy Kneer, the head of Planned Parenthood in the state noted that the numbers turned away by clinics means "tens of thousands of Californians who will go without birth control, or receive breast and cervical cancer screenings, who have no access to testing and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases or HIV/AIDS. This is a public health crisis that can't wait."

President pro Tem Don Perata made clear the importance of this bill in the context of many passed this year by the legislature: