NEW YORK ― Republicans are trying to find a way to defund Planned Parenthood as part of an overall effort to limit abortion in America. But doing so had the opposite effect in Texas, according to a new study based on research from Texas A&M University.
The study, conducted by economics professor Analisa Packham (now at Miami University), shows that in the first three years after Texas Republicans slashed the family planning budget in 2011 and shut down more than 80 women’s health clinics, the abortion rate among teenagers in the state rose 3 percent over what it would have been had the clinics remained open. After cutting Planned Parenthood out of the state’s subsidized women’s health program, then-Gov. Rick Perry (R) said his “goal” was to “ensure abortions […]
Excellent point that conservative political policies are based on beliefs. Republicans (and Libertarians, and other parties in other countries) are largely working to create a future based on their values. Facts aren’t irrelevant to conservatives, but may be defined differently, i.e. by faith or religion rather than by science. Facts that don’t support the values are rejected, much like rulers may have done in ancient times.
Another primary difference, across various parties in various countries in my limited experience, is that conservatives tend to support opportunities for individual wellness, while liberals support opportunities for collective wellness. The science truly championed by conservatives today is that of consolidating financial wealth, just as kings championed alchemists centuries ago.
Paradoxically, the collective wellness policies of most liberal parties tend to most closely support the faith-based values that most conservative parties claim to champion. For example here in the US, Democratic policies of taking money from the rich to feed, house, and treat illnesses of the poor is strongly in line with the Christian values that Republicans claim to have, but consistently vote against. Striving for individual wellness does not mix well with Christian values, so Republican politicians walk a very thin line.