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Family Planning as a Pro-Life Cause
In yesterday's Washington Post, conservative commentator Michael Gerson makes an eloquent case FOR family planning. He points out that preventive care and birth control save lives--both children's lives and women's lives.
"Close up, in places such as Bweremana, family planning is undeniably pro-life. When births are spaced more than 24 months apart, both mothers and children are dramatically more likely to survive. Family planning results not only in fewer births, but in fewer at-risk births, including those early and late in a woman's fertility. When contraceptive prevalence is low, about 70 percent of all births involve serious risk. When prevalence is high, the figure is 35 percent."
Importantly, Gerson points out that "Support for contraception does not imply or require support for abortion."
Here in San Antonio and in Texas, similar words could describe the value and importance of family planning. When pregnancies are planned and wanted, mothers and babies are healthier; families and communities are stronger; children have brighter futures; and abortions are far fewer.
Reducing unplanned and teen pregnancy is a cause that both pro-life and pro-choice members of the Healthy Futures Alliance (HFA) are working on.
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HFA Meeting Sept 7: Help Move Schools Towards Effective Programs
Join us for our next HFA Meeting on Wednesday, September 7 at 11:30 am! We will be working on the School-Based Education component of our strategic plan, and discussing HFA's role in advocating for effective policies.
The HFA meeting will be held in the community room of the Mexican American Unity Council, 2300 W. Commerce St. Please RSVP for the meeting by email to Margo DelaGarza (mdelagarza@healthyfuturestx.org), HFA Co-Chair. HFA membership is not required to attend. Lunch will be provided.
According to a 2009 study, 94% of Texas school districts do not offer students any human sexuality instruction beyond abstinence. HFA promotes the use of "abstinence-plus" education for students, with age-appropriate information about preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including various contraceptive methods. At a time when Texas teen birth rates are #3 in the nation (63.4 per thousand), and when 1 in 10 sixth graders has had sex, it is imperative that our kids know how to prevent pregnancy and how to protect themselves from STDs.
In Bexar County alone, the annual cost of teen childbearing exceeds $83 million. We need to encourage our school districts to provide information that will protect our children. Only a few districts in Bexar County do this right now. It's clear that abstinence is the healthiest choice for young people, but they need effective education programs in order to prevent unplanned pregnancies and STDs.
The Healthy Futures Alliance (HFA) developed a strategic plan which focuses on 5 key areas: school-based education, community-based education, messaging/involving teens, access to healthcare services, and parent involvement. Be part of the solution!
Also on September 7, at 1 PM, leaders of the new statewide organization, the Texas Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy will be on hand to tell us about the Texas Campaign. Board Chair, David Wiley, Ph.D., will also hear our feedback about how the Texas Campaign can best help us in our local efforts to reduce teen pregnancy
HFA is a community coalition to reduce teen and unplanned pregnancy in San Antonio. HFA has both pro-choice and pro-life members, and we are all working together on prevention. Joining HFA is easy: just sign up on our website. There is no cost or obligation. HFA would like to count YOU as a member, as we seek to improve the outlook for San Antonio adolescents and young adults.
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Bexar County Teen Births Down
The news is encouraging: the number of births to Bexar County teens dropped in 2009, and rates of teen birth plummeted 24% between 2001 and 2010. Last week, Metro Health released the 2009 Health Profiles and referred to encouraging data from 2010, as well.
As the San Antonio Express-News' Ricardo Pimentel points out in his piece, "Good News; Now Get to Work", "San Antonio is doing something right" about teen pregnancy - but we aren't doing nearly enough of it. In the last 2 years, birth rates dropped the most dramatically among Hispanic teens. However, the birth rate among Hispanic teens still outpaced other groups, even after the decline.
Pimentel gives credit to teens themselves, as well as to programs provided by and Metro Health's Project WORTH and Healthy Futures of Texas. The combination of evidence-based education programs and the ME NOW...baby later campaign seems to be making a difference.
Teen pregnancy is indeed a "winnable battle" as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said. The task now is to do more of what is working -- and to make effective programs available to more teens whose parents want them to participate.
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Family Planning Cuts to Hit
September 1 begins the new state fiscal year, and it is the beginning of dramatic cuts to preventive care and birth control funding in Bexar County and around the state.
The budget produced by 82nd Texas Legislature slashed funding for the Family Planning program by two-thirds (from $111.5 million to $37.9 million) for 2012-2013. This is the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) program that provides federal funds to clinics and hospitals for checkups and birth control (not abortion) for low-income Texans.
Even before the cuts, this program was able to reach fewer than 20% of women-in-need. After the cuts, the Legislative Budget Board estimated that these cuts will mean nearly 284,000 fewer women will receive these preventive services, resulting in 20,500 unplanned births. These cuts are also calculated to result in $231 million more in Medicaid costs, $98 million of which will come out of state funds.
Around the state, clinics are already closing, laying off staff, and/or cutting back hours. In Bexar County, University Health System and CentroMed will receive much smaller "transition" funding for a few months. Their family planning funding levels for next year are not yet known, but are certain to be much lower than last year.
It is too soon to know how exactly many women and families, and which ones, will be affected in our community. The providers of preventive care and family planning will certainly try to care for as many of their patients as possible, but it will be difficult with the reduction in funding. Members and friends of the Healthy Futures Alliance (HFA) are concerned, and we will be developing ways to respond to this crisis in the coming months.
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Big Decisions Training on October 7!
Healthy Futures of Texas is offering a one-day training on Big Decisions, an Abstinence-Plus sexuality curriculum. Big Decisions is a medically accurate, easy-to-use curriculum that has been evaluated as a "promising program".
The goal of this training is to prepare teachers, facilitators, health educators, nurses, and nursing/medical students to effectively facilitate the Big Decisions Sexuality Curriculum. The 10-session curriculum includes lessons on anatomy/reproduction, healthy relationships, contraception, STD's, goals and dreams, and much more! Attendees will also be trained on effective facilitation of sexuality-based education.
The training is scheduled for Friday, October 7, in the Community Room of the Mexican American Unity Council Building (2300 W. Commerce Street, San Antonio, TX, 78207) from 8:30 am - 4:00 pm. The cost for the training is $200 per participant, and includes a Big Decisions curriculum book, worth $75.
Big Decisions is compatible with Texas law and has been approved and used in more than 20 Texas school districts.
For more information or to register for training, register online, or call Margo DelaGarza at 210.223.4589 or email MDelaGarza@HealthyFuturesTX.org. Space is limited, so register early!
We look forward to seeing you there! |
 Seeking Luncheon Sponsors: Watch the Mayor! Healthy Futures of Texas is excited about our 4th Annual Luncheon, Lunch with the Mayor, on Tuesday, November 29, 2011 at the Pearl Stable. Mayor Julian Castro, Co-Chair of Healthy Futures' Annual Giving Campaign, will speak. We are delighted that our Event Co-Chairs are Edith and Taddy McAllister, and that William G. Moll, President and General Manager of KLRN, will serve as Master of Ceremonies. Dr. Amy Middleman of Baylor College of Medicine will speak on reaching our teens. The event will honor Laura Richmond, who will receive the Healthy Futures 2011 Estrella Award.
Be sure to watch the Mayor's video promoting this event!
This is a wonderful opportunity to support the work of Healthy Futures and help reduce teen and unplanned pregnancy in San Antonio. If your organization or your business is interested in being one of our sponsors for this important event, please contact us at info@HealthyFuturesTX.org.
Many thanks to our sponsors, including:
Laura Richmond
Superior HealthPlan
Community First Health Plan
Methodist Healthcare Ministries
Jenny Hixon and Chuck Kremer
Texas MedClinic
Diagnostic Research Group
Judges Lisa Jarrett, Laura Parker, and Renee McElhaney
Frost Bank
Jeffrey Collazo
University Health System
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Support Healthy Futures of Texas
Help us reduce teen and unplanned pregnancy in San Antonio!
For More Information,
Read our ANNUAL REPORT
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Healthy Futures of Texas is committed to reducing teen pregnancy rates in San Antonio by providing evidence-based programs to young people and by providing workshops that empower parents to communicate with their teens about sex. We advocate for accurate and effective education and for increased access to health services, and we're working to create a healthy social norm regarding teen sexuality and parenthood.
See our 2010 Annual Report for more information.
Have questions or comments? Email us at info@healthyfuturestx.org. We want to hear from you! |
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Contact Information: Healthy Futures of Texas
address: 2300 W. Commerce, Ste. 203
San Antonio, Texas, 78207
phone: 210.223.4589
email: info@healthyfuturestx.org
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