Debate ignites over Planned Parenthood funding as Washtenaw County officials OK human services plan
The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners agreed Wednesday night on a plan to allocate $1 million from the county's general fund for community-based human services programs — including some targeted at hunger, homelessness and youth mentoring.
The decision came in a 9-0 vote with commissioners Yousef Rabhi and Rob Turner absent. Before the vote, several residents spoke out against the proposed use of taxpayer dollars to fund Planned Parenthood, one of several agencies slated to receive money.
According to the plan approved by commissioners, the county will give the agency $53,040 for comprehensive prenatal care — medical care given to pregnant women to ensure they and their babies are healthy and strong.
Multiple residents argued against funding an agency they consider immoral for promoting abortion, but county officials said none of the money is going to fund abortion services.
Still, residents urged commissioners to redirect the county's dollars to the prenatal care programs of St. Joseph Mercy Hospital and the Corner Health Center. Some read graphic descriptions of abortions with accounts of the decapitation and dismemberment of fetuses.
Conan Smith
He said any particular organization's mission is its own business — all the county is interested in is the outcome of the services for which it provides funding.
"Planned Parenthood proves every year and every cycle that the dollars we allocate go to provide the service that they have applied to provide and that they do it very well," he said.
Washtenaw County and the city of Ann Arbor are channeling their human services dollars through a new coordinated funding process this year, along with the United Way and Washtenaw Urban County Executive Committee. Those organizations released a joint request for proposals to eligible agencies for human services funding.
A coordinated funding review committee evaluated all eligible applications and recommended fiscal year 2011-12 allocations of $1.16 million from the city's general fund, $1 million from the county's general fund, $1.68 million from the United Way, and $363,154 in Community Development Block Grants channeled through the Urban County.
The Ann Arbor City Council took action Tuesday night to add another $85,600 for human services to its budget, increasing its allocation to $1.24 million.
Records show that in addition to the money from the county, another $14,400 pool of money from the coordinated funding process is slated to go to Planned Parenthood for family planning services for low-income women.
The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners has allocated human services funding to community-based organizations since 1984. The resolution approved Wednesday night notes the full award of $1 million is contingent on passage of the county's budget.
According to the approved plan, more than $218,000 of the county's dollars are to go to the Child Care Network for family support programs for youths ages 0 to 21. Another $87,486 is to go to Food Gatherers for hunger relief services, $97,369 is to go to Michigan Ability Partners for permanent supported housing for high-risk individuals, and $90,859 is to go to SOS Community Services for ending and preventing homelessness for families.
Ronnie Peterson
Commissioners expressed concerns Wednesday that with the state kicking thousands of people off welfare and cutting other programs that help low-income families, many people in need are going to be turning to Washtenaw County and other local governments for help in the coming year.
Commissioner Ronnie Peterson, D-Ypsilanti, said the county should brace itself for what he characterized as a "storm."
"When no other hope exists, government money should be accessible and available," Peterson said. "And I do believe in preparing people for self-independence."
Commissioner Barbara Levin Bergman, D-Ann Arbor, agreed.
"This is a travesty," she said. "What's really saddest to me about all of this is the amount of money that we're allocating to outside agencies won't begin to touch this perfect storm that's gathering for Michigan's citizens and children."
Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529. You also can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's e-mail newsletters.
Comments
unrulyfan
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 5:43 p.m.
@Terri - Sorry Terri, but that was the Declaration of Independence, and just for the record it states the all MEN are created equal.
unrulyfan
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 5:44 p.m.
I meant Terry not Terri
Terry
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 5:12 p.m.
I love how an organization like this can speak out of both sides of thier mouths and anybody questioning their actions is labeled a hater. They claim to provide services to care for both mothers and children, which I agree they do a great service in that arena. This same organization which screams compation and charity for children and mothers turns around and promotes abortion. I feel comfortable saying they promote abortion because they are in no way down the middle or on the fence on this issue. This organization is PRO abortion. Look a little more closely at their history. I only say look closely because you will have a hard time finding any instance where they use the word abortion. If they are such advocates for pro choice and find nothing wrong with abortions then why do they find such creative ways to say the word? I was under the impression the constitution declares we are all CREATED equal and given rights equally. Obviously I was taught wrong if a pregnancy can be terminated simply on a mothers command. That termination is killing a person which is already created and growing.
Terry
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 5:55 p.m.
As defined by encarta world dictionary: fe·tus [ f?t?ss ] unborn offspring: an unborn vertebrate at a stage when all the structural features of the adult are recognizable, especially an unborn human offspring after eight weeks of development Ok so killing a fetus as we are going to call it so as to not involve any sensitive words. Killing a Fetus - doesnt sound any better to me.
Terri
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 5:47 p.m.
It's not a "child" it's a "fetus." Words have power, as you know.
Terry
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 5:40 p.m.
I have to agree, I was wrong by saying mother. A mother wouldn't kill their own child. I also have to give planned parenthood a little room. While they do financial support abortions it would be like blaming the NRA for a murder involving a firearm. Just because they financially support arming people and battle for rights to carry firearms the blame should not fall on them contrary to left wing opinion.
Thomas
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 5:33 p.m.
Nicely said, Terri!!! It's such a shame that a woman is no longer a woman once she gets pregnant.
Terri
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 5:18 p.m.
Abortion IS compassionate care for women and children, Terry. And a pregnant woman is not a "mother," she's a woman.
Chandelle German
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 5:12 p.m.
Planned parenthood is there to educate and help with birth control. I have never heard of planned parenthood handing out "free abortions" to my knowledge you must pay if you wish to have an abortion. They do have a sliding scale fee which I have used years ago to help pay for birth control when I didn't have insurance. At that time I didn't have ANY health insurance and PP helped so much, I could still get my annual pap-smear. I know you read PP, you assume its a MASS ABORTION CLINIC, but that is clearly not the way PP works. Yes obviously they do offer that service, but its definitely not a drive thru and the people truly care for womens health and reproductive well-being.
Terri
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 5:08 p.m.
Take a look at the stats regarding Planned Parenthood and contraception consultations, well woman care, well man care and STD checks and treatments. Take a look at the income levels of most of the people served by Planned Parenthood. Think about what it's like to go to work every day and wonder if today's the day someone picketing your clinic goes too far and hurts you or one of your patients. Think about what it's like to serve some of the most vulnerable people in society under threat of bombing, with people screaming outside about things that have no basis in the reality of the clinic. Take a look at how many Planned Parenthood clinics don't offer abortion services at all. Look at how many of them are locations where other social services are available. Do the math and figure out how much money taxpayers would need to fork over if every time someone found a sore they went to the ER instead of to the clinic. Then tell me again how Planned Parenthood shouldn't be funded.
dotdash
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 5:02 p.m.
It's time the middle spoke up and kept these discussions from being choreographed by extremists. In the middle, we have qualms about abortion. We hear the statistics with sadness. But we recognize that it's a complicated issue in a complicated world. Birth control is part of the answer, not part of the problem. So let's fund PP, because they provide birth control to people who would otherwise be faced with much bleaker choices.
Rork Kuick
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 5:48 p.m.
Article says it's for prenatal care, not birth control. I'm not claiming to be an expert on exactly what services are being funded though. I personally am OK with funding PP for just about anything.
bedrog
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 5:11 p.m.
well put. Sadly it's fanatics of both left and right who have stridently coopted the terms of debate on many issues and its long past time to stop them.
Thomas
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 4:31 p.m.
I don't remember where I heard this, but the Republicans care about you when you're unborn and then over 18. But they don't appear to care when your between 0 and 18 - they show that by their funding history. Make sure every possible kid is born! But take away health care and WIC programs and all other low income and women and children's health. I can't wait for the Democrats to re take control in 2012.
John A2
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 4:22 p.m.
How would you like to grow up in this situation? I say let them be and make money available to them. My mother belonged to the ST Thomas Alter Society of A2. They made blankets for the PPH. I know my mom and if she had any belief of pro-abortion she would not have had anything to do with it. They only help with abortions is if it is a crucial need. I also don't want my baby having baby's either. In fact there are way to many people in this world already. I think it should be illegal for a mother to bare a child under the age of eighteen. or even twenty-one. If it was Gods will, the baby would be a demigod like Jesus. If a family can't afford an abortion how will they afford to raise the child. That means WE THE PEOPLE will have the burden of financial responsibility for raising these children who will likely be a financial burden even after they are eighteen, and have more babies that we have to be financially responsible for. It's tricky, and I say abortion is one of many answers to the problem. These pro-life people yell very loud but why don't they put their money where their mouth is, and take the financial burden too. These babies have a right to life, but is there a line between a life or just being alive and someones punching bag. This is pure torture to make a child go through this, and we wonder why our prisons and Juvenal facilities are full past capacity. Get past the OLD way of thinking and modernize it.
John A2
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 4:20 p.m.
A lot of people here are saying bad things about PPH and I doubt these people have ever been in a situation of abortion decisions. There are situations that abortions are recommended. I have interviewed people who grew up in the system. These victims of circumstance are abused and passed on to the next family to be treated even worse. If the baby's don't get adopted they get tossed into the foster care program. Most of the people I have interviewed that went through this foster care program was abused, and most sexually, physically, and emotionally. After review of these interviews I would rather abort than to let go to the system. I heard horror stories of malnutrition, sex for nutrition, Cinderella Syndrome, beatings, rapes, and so on. Although I witnessed foster parents who could be angels, but very few fit my angel list. Foster kids are targets for stress release, either from the offspring or parents, or both. The proverbial family punching bag and sex toy. >
Thomas
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 4:18 p.m.
If people get to fight over what their tax dollars are going for, even if it's legal (like abortion is), then I don't want any of my tax dollars going to any religious organization! Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw? That sounds religious to me! I think I'm going to start a grass roots campaign to attack them because they're religious. Who cares that it's legal, I don't like it and I don't want my tax dollars going to it, therefore, as Republicans are trying to show everyone, I should be able to determine where my money goes! Especially since they're getting more than Planned Parenthood! Why is a religious organization getting more than planned parenthood? Sounds like a good argument to me...
Ricebrnr
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 4:05 p.m.
Tax dollars do not fund abortions at Planned Parenthood. What those dollars do pay for epitomizes the concept of "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". We'd be paying MUCH more to subsidize the ER's otherwise.
bedrog
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 5:08 p.m.
again...and against past expectations...i fully agree with you
Gramma
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 3:28 p.m.
Abortion is still a woman's choice and not against the law. Those who do not agree with this freedom have the right to protest, but they do not have the right to choose for women.
Bertha Venation
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 5:01 p.m.
Right On Too, Grams! Power to us grams!
John A2
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 4:32 p.m.
Right on Gramma!
Another Michael
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 3:16 p.m.
Washtenaw county population: 348,615 (2010 est., US Census Bureau). Planned Parenthood funding: $53,040. Per capita allotment: $0.152. Abortion opponents have every right to express their viewpoint, as much as I might disagree with it. But the "don't use tax dollars to fund abortions" line is ludicrous. Even if one wants to argue that money is fungible and, ignoring everything else PP does, assume that the whole chunk of change directly subsidizes abortion services, we're still looking at a grand total of fifteen and two-tenths cents per county resident. I wonder how that compares to the money spent prosecuting the kid who ran over the ducklings...
ViSHa
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 3:53 p.m.
agree, although i still think the kid should be prosecuted.
Mr. Ed
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 3:10 p.m.
Conan Smith, D-Ann Arbor, said there usually is a handful of people who complain about the county's allocation to Planned Parenthood every year. Bad choice of the word "complain." I do believe people have the right to voice in protest how the County is spending our tax dollars.