Teen birth rates spiked in Texas after Planned Parenthood was defunded

Roe v. Wade In a case originating in Texas, The U.S. Supreme Court decided in Roe v. Wade that women had a constitutional right to privacy about medical choices, clearing the way for the legalization of abortion in the states. less Roe v. Wade In a case originating in Texas, The U.S. Supreme Court decided in Roe v. Wade that women had a constitutional right to privacy about medical choices, clearing the way for the legalization of ... more Photo: Brian Rosenthal | Houston Chronicle Photo: Brian Rosenthal | Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 14 Caption Close Teen birth rates spiked in Texas after Planned Parenthood was defunded 1 / 14 Back to Gallery

Teenage birth rates have increased in Texas since 2011 following efforts to strip away family planning funding by the state government, according to a new study by a Texas A&M alumnus.

The study by Analisa Packham, who received her doctorate in economics from A&M in 2016 and now works at Miami University, claims the reduction of family planning services in Texas has resulted in the closure of 80 clinics and an increase in teen birth rates by 3.4 percent.

Roughly 2,200 teens would not have given birth absent the reduction in Texas family planning funding, Packham wrote.

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In 2011, Texas' family planning budget shrunk by 67 percent, from $111 million per biennium to $37.9 million for the following two years, Packham wrote. Planned Parenthood faced the brunt of these cuts.

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The explanation for this increase in abortions is partially attributed to former Gov. Rick Perry and his public aversion to Planned Parenthood in 2012, according to the study. Packham's study challenges Perry's claims the defunding would decrease abortions in Texas.

"I ﬁnd little evidence that reducing family planning funding achieved this goal," Packham wrote. "The estimates suggest that nearly 2,200 teens would have not given birth absent the reduction in Texas family planning funding."

By the end of 2012, 25 percent of Texas family planning clinics shut down, 18 percent reduced service hours, and nearly 50 percent ﬁred staﬀ, according to the study.

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The cuts passed by Texas policymakers totaled $73 million, which was $50 million more than New Jersey, Montana, New Hampshire, and Maine combined. The comparison to these specific states was made because of the similar limits placed on family planning by their lawmakers.

Despite the antipathy Texas politicians have against funding Planned Parenthood, the alternative is actually cost effective in the long run, Packham told Chron.com via email.

"Reducing funding for family planning services can have the unintended consequences of increasing abortion and reducing the number of women seeking preventative health care," Packham said. "Moreover, the funding for family planning services is cost effective. Cutting such programs is cutting an investment in women and children, which can lead to lower economic productivity, lower tax revenue and higher public expenditures down the line."

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On June 28, Gov. Greg Abbott sent a new waiver to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services asking for federal funding approval for the Healthy Texas Women (HTW) program. The program, which helps provide women family planning services, excludes "elective abortions or the promotion of elective abortions."