By Brittany Ward and Ryan Evans
March 29, 2018
Lincoln’s 1867 Bar,101 N. 14th St., will welcome customers to show support for Title X funding in Nebraska during its “10 for X” happy hour today.
Between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m., patrons are encouraged to donate $10 to support Planned Parenthood of the Heartland and its work with healthcare, education and advocacy in Nebraska. The bar will also donate $1 for every pint sold during happy hour.
The fundraiser comes as the nonprofit healthcare provider is among clinics in the state facing the potential loss of federal family planning funds.
Title X funding comes to Nebraska providers in the form of a federal grant distributed to states to provide contraception, annual exams, cancer screenings, STI treatment and testing, family planning education and much more. According to Planned Parenthood, thousands of low-income and/or uninsured Nebraskans rely on this funding to stay healthy, safe and prevent pregnancies.
Debate over a provision requested by Gov. Pete Ricketts that would eliminate Title X funding for providers in the state who perform abortions — or refer to other providers who do — had stalled Nebraska’s mainline budget bill in the legislature for a week. A compromise presented Wednesday allowed the bill to advance.
In his budget recommendation, Gov. Ricketts wrote that “Nebraska is a pro-life state and the state’s budget should reflect those values.”
Federal law already prohibits Title X funds from going toward abortions and auditing performed by the state provides a check on this. The compromise that allowed the bill to advance, which allows referring providers to maintain funding eligibility in the case of emergencies, may still deny or delay continued funding to Planned Parenthood of the Heartland.
The history behind Planned Parenthood Federation of America started in 1916, when Margaret Sanger started America’s first birth control clinic in Brooklyn which laid the groundwork for what is Planned Parenthood today. Sanger was arrested and jailed for 30 years for breaking the “Comstock Law”, which outlawed the discussion and dissemination of birth control. Sanger’s vision has inspired the availability of reproductive healthcare for women all over the country.
Planned Parenthood of the Heartland is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is supported by volunteers, partially funded from donors and staffed by dedicated, expert employees. It offers many educational programs that cover topics from human growth and development, healthy relationships to communication skills.
For more information about Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, visit its Facebook page or website. For more information about Title X, visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ website.
Brittany Ward is an editorial intern with KZUM. Ryan Evans is KZUM’s program director.
