“Conservatives believe that from the standpoint of the federal government, life begins at conception and ends at birth.”
- Helen
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Barney Frank, Former Massachusetts Congressman, made this comment in his 2015 Book, “Frank: A Life in Politics from the Great Society to Same-Sex Marriage.”
Robert Kramer discusses the status of women's health and reproductive freedom in the midst of attacks while those in Congress don't appear to know what women and many men already know. Daddy isn't daddy.
Eleven years later, conservatives in congress and elsewhere have been replaced by MAGA loyalists whose only opinions, actions, and votes are those directed by Donald Trump. The few Republicans who could not stomach that have voluntarily left congress.
In 2025, that congress passed and Trump signed the misnamed One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Only the first two words are accurate. It is one bill and it is big. It is one of the ugliest, most racist, wrong-headed laws ever passed by congress. The intention of the bill is to make rich people, especially billionaires (including Trump) even richer. The bill accomplishes this by giving even bigger tax breaks to billionaires. That money is freed up from the federal budget by penalizing poor people, especially poor women, including many who are black or brown.
Congressman Frank’s comment about conception and birth is even more accurate today, as MSNOW reported on March 19. Nearly two dozen clinics closed, and appointments have plummeted after congressional Republicans defunded Planned Parenthood.
Since last July, 23 of Planned Parenthood’s more than 500 health centers have closed. Fewer women are getting cancer screenings and fewer are getting birth control. Breast exam visits intended to spot cancer sooner, with better chances of recovery, and less costly treatment options declined 25% in December. So, don’t believe Republicans when they talk about government economy. Also, IUD insertions dropped nearly 40% the same month, there was a 20% decline in visits for birth control pills, and a 10% decline in tests for sexually transmitted diseases. These trends will certainly create a public health and safety crisis sooner than expected.
In the months since the “‘Big, Ugly Betrayal’ became law, American families have already started feeling the pain of Republicans’ efforts to defund Planned Parenthood: care is worse, costs are higher, and barriers for patients are more significant,” Schumer told MS NOW
The services that have been cut are the reasons most women (many poor, black, or brown) visit the clinics. These services help reduce the number of abortions, which represent just 4% of Planned Parenthood visits. Despite those facts, some Republicans claim the organization’s primary role is as an abortion provider.
Looking ahead, the House GOP’s influential Republican Study Committee has proposed permanently defunding Planned Parenthood in a potential second reconciliation package that House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he wants to pass later this year.
So now, what do MAGA Republicans think about life? My guess is, life is for Billionaires and Republicans, not for the rest of us. Passing work requirements for food security, while the current policies slow the entire economy is cruel. More layoffs are being announced across multiple economic sectors every week.
But MAGA Republicans didn’t stop at endangering the lives and health of women and babies in the United States.
They’ve also gutted US aid for family planning that’s impacting women overseas. An example of how devasting these cuts are to women's health and reproduction can be seen at the Reproductive Health Network Kenya in Kilifi County.
US funding once provided free birth control, maternity checkups, and other reproductive health care via mobile medical clinics across Africa’s developing nations. All that is gone now, as Trump’s administration dismantled the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and slashed funding for family planning.
Everyday volunteers at the Reproductive Health Network Kenya see several unwanted pregnancies. Some of these lead to death from sepsis or hemorrhages.
Desperate women who see no other option take high dosages of painkillers, obtaining drugs without a prescription or medical supervision, or even consuming toxic substances like detergent.
Multiple providers and nonprofits report widespread shortages of birth control pills and persistent supply chain challenges, particularly in remote areas. These funding cuts have forced nearly 1,400 medical clinics to close around the world, resulting in 9 million people losing access to sexual and reproductive health services in 2025.
For fiscal year 2027 the administration proposes more cuts, reducing funding by billions of dollars and specifically eliminating all reproductive health programs. The White House wants to defund access to birth control, and is part of the agenda called #project2025.
Congress technically has the power to control funding, but when was the last time this congress said no to Trump? (Stop, it’s a trick question.)
Before Trump took office in 2025, the United States gave 47.6 million women and couples access to modern contraceptives. Once in office, Trump froze and then scrapped family planning grants once administered by USAID, and barred funding international NGOs that provide abortions, offer guidance about abortions, or in any way advocate for safe access to abortion.
In July 2025, congress rescinded $500 million for family planning and reproductive health and stopped all contributions to the United Nations Population Fund and the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency. Right now, $9.7 million worth of US-purchased contraceptives sit in Belgian warehouses instead of being delivered to women overseas.
Every percentage point reduction of this humanitarian aid represents girls dropping out of school, the perpetuation of the cycle of poverty, a rise in HIV infections, and an increase in child marriages. Where is the compassion in the medival thinking?
The question is now bigger than the one Congressman Frank asked.
Why is the United States denying women here and around the world access to the type of medical care that is less expensive to deliver, more likely to reduce unwanted pregnancies, and provides additional benefits including education, marriage by choice, and the opportunity to rise out of poverty?
Perhaps the answer is greed, sexism, racism, and a complete lack of humanity in those now governing America.
Comments