Our Goals at the MN legislature
January 13, 2009 2:35:01
by Karina
Web Editor
Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota Action Fund
So the Minnesota Legislative session opened last week, and there is pretty much one thing on every legislators mind.
The deficit
Unfortunately, Minnesota is facing a projected 4.8 billion dollar budget deficit (with some experts projecting it to rise to nearly 6 billion) and the legislators will be tasked with finding ways to resolve the gigantic deficit. What does that mean?
Program cuts.
As part of the SAFplan Coalition, one of Planned Parenthood's goals is to make sure that the legislature maintains its commitment to thousands of women and men by standing by the Family Planning and Special Projects (FPSP) grants program that has stood for 30 years. FPSP grants are absolutely essential to the ability of family planning clinics' across Minnesota to provide high quality care to the people who can't afford it.
This biennium FPSP grants have provided funding to over 30 different family planning organizations. For many clinics, these funds are what make their services possible. So if the legislature were to cut these funds, it means these clinics will close. Ultimately, cutting FPSP would cut away the safety net from thousands of Minnesotans who won't be able to afford health care anywhere else. This program, costing around 10 million dollars, is peanuts in the Minnesota State budget and besides that, it actually saves money in the long run—more than four dollars for every dollar invested!
In this economic crisis, we simply cannot risk the health and lives of our citizens by eliminating the only avenue some women and men have for health care. Preserving FPSP is crucial.
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