Subscribe to Receive the Daily Report

Sunday, December 27th, 2015

Texas cuts off funding for Planned Parenthood’s HIV prevention program

Author:     Texas Tribune
Source:     Texas Tribune/The Raw Story
Publication Date:     23 Dec 2015 at 13:02 ET
Link: Texas cuts off funding for Planned Parenthood’s HIV prevention program
Stephan:   There is a special kind of self-mutilating craziness in Texas. I don't know if it is the low IQ of the legislators and governor, or their obsession with Rightist ideology and theology, or something else entirely. But Texas really know how to wound itself. This is the latest example, very hard to believe, but oh so true.
HIV blood test

HIV blood test

Amid an ongoing battle over Planned Parenthood’s participation in the state Medicaid program, Texas health officials are cutting off funding to a Planned Parenthood affiliate for an HIV prevention program.

In a notice received by Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast late Monday, an official with the Department of State Health Services informed the Houston-based provider that it would not renew its contract for HIV prevention services.

The long-standing grant, which funds HIV testing and prevention services, was set to expire on Dec. 31, according to the notice which was obtained by The Texas Tribune.

“There will be no further renewals of this contract,” a DSHS official wrote in the notice to Planned Parenthood.

By ending Planned Parenthood’s contract, the state is cutting off almost $600,000 in annual funding, which the health care provider used for HIV testing and counseling, condom distribution and referral consultations.

Through the grant, which Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast has received since 1988, the organization served individuals with HIV in five counties in the Houston area. Since 2014, the grant has funded more […]

Read the Full Article