"[W]ith mosquito season upon us, and despite evidence that a potentially calamitous health crisis could be around the corner, Congress has yet to provide money for a serious response" to the Zika virus, a New York Times editorial states.
According to the editorial, CDC concluded that Zika causes fetal anomalies, such as microcephaly. Overall, the editorial states that more than 2,600 people in U.S. states and territories have contracted the virus. The editorial adds that as of mid-June, "federal health officials were tracking 481 cases of pregnant women who appeared to be infected."
Despite the increasing risk of a health crisis, the editorial notes that the House approved a Zika response bill (HR 2577) that would allow "only public health departments and Medicaid-run clinics ... [to] receive Zika funds to provide contraception and maternal care." The editorial states, "Private health centers, including Planned Parenthood, would be ineligible."
This restriction "would create significant barriers to services for women in Puerto Rico, where the virus is spreading most quickly," the editorial states, noting, "Only 12 of the island's 78 municipalities include a Medicaid-run clinic." According to the editorial, "The same problem will limit access to care in Southern states, which are expected to be affected."
The editorial notes that while the term "Planned Parenthood" does not appear in the bill text, "the intent of the restrictions is perfectly clear, and also reckless." Four infants have been born with Zika-related defects in the United States this year, the editorial notes, and "[t]hat number could grow sharply in the coming months."
Citing "the urgency of the matter," the editorial states that "it is not asking too much of House Speaker Paul Ryan [R-Wis.] and the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell [R-Ky.], to agree on a generous bill without unjustifiable restrictions." It concludes, "Allowing the crusade against Planned Parenthood to get in the way of protecting the public is inexcusable" (New York Times, 6/30).
