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Excerpt from the full fact sheet:
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Services Provided
Under the program's guidelines, Title X clinics must provide the following services:
1. pelvic exams and pap smear tests;
2. breast exams and education regarding self-examination;
3. screening and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs);
4. infertility screening;
5. referrals to specialists. |
As a matter of public health, it is essential to ensure contraception availability to women who need it.
Enacted in 1970 with broad bipartisan support, Title X of the Public Health Service Act is the only federal program exclusively dedicated to family-planning and reproductive-health services. Title X has been a pivotal part of the nation's family-planning program for more than 30 years, providing millions of women with services ranging from contraception to pap smears and breast cancer screening. Many women rely solely on Title X clinics for their basic health care. In 2000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) listed family planning as one of the ten great public-health achievements of the last century and recognized Title X as having contributed significantly to the advancements made in this area of public health.
Nine in ten Americans support subsidized family planning. Yet, despite widespread public support and the importance of these services to American women and the nation as a whole, anti-choice lawmakers have consistently attacked the program. After gaining a majority in the 1994 elections, anti-choice lawmakers in Congress repeatedly attempted to defund the program and restrict minors' access. They continue their attempts now that Congress is in pro-choice hands, but thankfully they have not succeeded. Unfortunately, the anti-choice Bush White House also tried to starve the program financially. To enhance women's access to family-planning services and to give women real choices over their reproductive lives, Title X should be fully funded and its guarantee of confidentiality preserved.
Download the fact sheet (PDF) |
