Women’s health relies on substantial public funding at both the federal and state level
Women’s health relies on substantial public funding at both the federal and state level. There has been a debate on the provision of family planning services that focuses on government funding for clinics. An intense policy debate over the efficacy of family planning clinics fits into a broader perspective on the effects of government intervention on teenage pregnancy. The debate discussed how teen motherhood is associated with poor life outcomes including low graduation rates, poverty, low wages and dependence on government services. The debate had also talked about how some teens are not in a suitable position to take care of their child and that more than 75% of teen pregnancies are unintended, which shows that teens do not fully internalize the expected cost of their decision on being sexually active. Teen mothers may be unprepared to take on the full responsibility of raising a child and to then have external costs on family, friends, and taxpayers. The Texas Department of State Health Services Family Planning Program funds clinics across the state that provide low-cost reproductive health services to both women and men but since the increase of teen pregnancies, the Texas Family Planning Program has been targeted towards low-income women rather than men. Services available at clinic sites include pregnancy tests and health screenings, sexually transmitted disease testing, preventative care, such as pelvic exams and Pap tests, and contraception services.
