Council urges full women's health funds

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Some Austin City Council members say the state is playing a "dangerous game" when it comes to women's health care.

Recent legislative cuts left the Austin-area more than a million dollars short for these critical services for low-income women. Council passed a resolution this week to urge full women's health funding.

Members asked the state Legislature to restore the more than $72 million in cuts from the state budget last session for family planning programs. They say it forced more than 50 clinics to close, eliminated access to vital women's examinations, breast and cervical cancer screenings and contraception for about 147,000 low-income women.

A large part of this debate came after the state excluded the largest provider - Planned Parenthood - from the new Texas Women's Health Program. Council says it resulted in a loss of more than $30 million in federal funding.

The state has been working to restore at least some of the cuts for the upcoming two-year budget.

"This is not just a women's issue,” said Council Member Laura Morrison. “It is a family issue. It is an issue that all Texans need to be aware of and be concerned about."

The city resolution also calls for the state to include unbiased, medically accurate information in the Women's Right to Know pamphlets at clinics. State law says these pamphlets should be available to all women considering an abortion.