I am fervently hoping that in the matter of continued Family Planning funding, our Ravalli County Commissioners do not allow their personal religious and moral beliefs to outweigh their impartiality and objectivity.
Family planning plays a vital role in our healthcare system. Many women cannot afford the advice of a physician in reproductive matters. Often, unwed teens have nowhere else to turn. It’s not always possible for them to expect understanding and support from their parents. All too often, angry parents will ostracize them. If the pregnant teenager were able to talk to her parents, she would not be seeking help elsewhere.
Illegitimate children are a greater financial burden upon society than the funds we spend for prevention. It’s much less expensive to provide birth control information to a teenager than to support an unwed mother and her child on welfare for 18 years.
A large percentage of teenagers are going to be sexually active whether society approves or not. Dispensing contraceptives is morally offensive to some, but doing so makes sense. It’s been proven not to encourage teenage promiscuity, and it does help to avoid unwanted pregnancy and prevent sexually transmitted diseases.
To stop Family Planning funding is to withhold healthcare from lower income women that often need it most. They do not enjoy the options that adequately insured middle class women have to plan their families and learn how to manage their health.
Let’s not permit personal moral and religious beliefs to make this vital funding decision for us.