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Fact check: Did New Jersey family planning cuts increase STD rates?

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September 21, 2017
By Sara Reynolds

Phil Murphy is a Democratic candidate for New Jersey governor. He has pledged to restore $7.5 million in annual state funding for family planning services that Gov. Chris Christie has repeatedly vetoed since 2010.[1][2]

According to Politico, groups such as Planned Parenthood claim the cut has led to a rise in sexually transmitted disease (STD) rates. But Christie and State Health Commissioner Cathleen Bennett say there is no such correlation and that more women are now receiving care at federally qualified health centers rather than family planning clinics.[1][3]

Did the cut to family planning grants lead to increases in New Jersey’s rates of STDs?

No. In the five years following the funding cut (2011 to 2015), the incidence rate of newly diagnosed chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis cases per 100,000 people in New Jersey increased 3.3 percent per year, on average—a slower rate of growth than during the five years prior to the cuts (2006 to 2010), when the incidence rate increased an average 5.6 percent per year.[4][5][6]

There is no way to determine whether any of the cases diagnosed between 2011 and 2015 resulted from the funding cut or if the incidence rate would have slowed even more than it did if the funding had been restored. But the CDC data show that the incidence rate of new STD cases did not increase as officials of Planned Parenthood and others have claimed.

Background

Phil Murphy (D) and Kim Guadagno (R), winners of New Jersey's gubernatorial primary on June 6, will face each other in the general election on November 7.[7]

Murphy served as the Obama administration’s ambassador to Germany from 2009 to 2013. He was the finance chair of the Democratic National Committee from 2006 to 2009 and worked for Goldman Sachs from 1982 to 2006.[8] Planned Parenthood endorsed Murphy on August 10.[9]

Guadagno has served a dual role as lieutenant governor and secretary of state of New Jersey since 2010. She was the Monmouth County sheriff from 2007 to 2010 and a Monmouth Beach commissioner from 2005 to 2007. She served as deputy chief of the corruption unit for the United States Attorney's Office for the district of New Jersey from 1990 to 1998.[10]

Family planning funding

Family planning funds come from a variety of state and federal sources, including Title X of the Public Health Service Act (a federal family planning grant program); Medicaid; block grants; and the New Jersey Department of Health.[11][12]

The $7.5 million in pre-2011 funding came from the state's general fund and had been distributed to clinics providing “information and counseling on reproductive choices and birth control methods; comprehensive physicals and health screenings; pelvic and breast exams; pregnancy testing; the diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases; AIDS testing and counseling; prenatal substance abuse programs; colposcopy, cryotherapy, and loop electrosurgical excision procedures; and adolescent risk reduction counseling.”[13]

Six clinics run by Planned Parenthood, out of 58 family planning clinics statewide, closed following the budget cut.[14][15]

In a letter to the New Jersey State Senate, Christie cited the economic downturn as the reason for his veto of the FY 2011 family planning funding: “Due to the economic crisis, my Administration was forced to make tough decisions to fill an $11 billion budget gap. Unfortunately, as a result, many worthy programs were cut or eliminated.”[16]

Christie subsequently vetoed five bills to restore the $7.5 million in funding since 2010. Two bills to restore funding, one in 2014 and one in 2017, passed the state Senate but stalled in the state Assembly.[2]

Planned Parenthood

In a February 2017 report, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey, which describes itself as the "advocacy arm of the Planned Parenthood Affiliates" in the state, stated that cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis combined increased 35 percent between 2009 and 2015 (which includes two years when the funding was available).[17][18][19][20]

Citing the aggregate number of cases does not account for changes in New Jersey’s population over time. Ballotpedia instead examined the rate of new cases per 100,000 population—which is the more appropriate measure for tracking disease.[21]

STDs

New Jersey’s fiscal year begins July 1 and ends June 30.[22] From fiscal years 2006 to 2010, the legislature appropriated funds ranging from $4.8 million to $7.7 million (unadjusted) for family planning services.[23] The funding has not been reinstated.[16][24] Therefore, Ballotpedia examined the incidence rates of STDs between 2011 and 2015, and compared the annual average change to the five years before the funding cut (2006 to 2010).

Based on data from the Centers for Disease Control, the rate of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis combined per 100,000 population increased 5.6 percent per year, on average, before the funding cut (296.4 to 366.9). The increase in the incidence rate slowed in the five years after the funding cut, when the average annual rate rose by 3.3 percent (383 to 435.7).[5][6]

Nationwide, STD rates increased at a slower pace than in New Jersey for both periods. From 2006 to 2010, the rate of new cases increased annually by 3.1 percent, on average (from 467.3 to 528.3). From 2011 to 2015, the incidence rate of new cases increased by 2.2 percent, on average (from 561.2 to 610.2).[5][25]

However, New Jersey’s incidence rate has been well below the national rate, as the chart below illustrates.

Conclusion

New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Phil Murphy (D) is vowing to restore $7.5 million in family planning funds that have been repeatedly vetoed by Gov. Chris Christie. According to Politico, some women’s health advocates claim the cuts have led to a rise in STDs.[1]

The incidence rate of new STD cases in New Jersey increased at a slower pace after the funding cut than before the funding cut.[5][6]

There is no way to determine whether any of the new cases between 2011 and 2015 resulted from the funding cut or if the incidence rate would have changed at a different pace if the funds had been restored. But the CDC data shows that the incidence rate of new STD cases did not increase as officials of Planned Parenthood and others have claimed.

See also

Sources and Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Politico, "Murphy opens general election with a focus on women's issues," June 7, 2017
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Christie vetoed the following bills: S 2139 (2010); S 788 (2011); S 2825 (2012); A 3672 (2014); and A 3492 (2016). S 784 (2014) and S 3302 (2017) passed the state Senate but stalled in the state Assembly. No bill was proposed in 2016. New Jersey Legislature, "Bill search," accessed September 18, 2017
  3. ↑ Sara Reynolds, "Email communication with Katie Jennings, Politico reporter," June 28, 2017
  4. ↑ In this fact check, STDs refer to chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 United States Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "CDC Wonder: Selected STDs by Age, Race/Ethnicity, and Gender, 1996-2014 Request," accessed June 27, 2017
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 United States Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "New Jersey - State Health Profile," accessed June 27, 2017
  7. ↑ State of New Jersey, "Official List: Candidates for Governor for PRIMARY ELECTION," June 28, 2017
  8. ↑ AllGov, "Ambassador to Germany: Who is Philip Murphy?" July 4, 2010
  9. ↑ NJ.com, "'This is life and death,' Murphy says after Planned Parenthood endorsement," August 11, 2017
  10. ↑ State of New Jersey, "Lt. Governor and Secretary of State Kim Guadagno," accessed August 21, 2017
  11. ↑ Guttmacher Institute, "Public Funding for Family Planning and Abortion Services, FY 1980-2015," April 2017
  12. ↑ Sara Reynolds, "Email communication with the New Jersey Department of Health Office of Communications," August 23, 2017
  13. ↑ State of New Jersey, "Statement to Senate, No. 2139," June 23, 2010
  14. ↑ State of New Jersey, "Family Planning Association of New Jersey, Testimony on the Proposed FY2016 State Budget," March 24, 2015
  15. ↑ Public, "Senate approves Weinberg & Sweeney bills to fund women's health care," June 19, 2017
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 State of New Jersey, "Letter for the Senate: Senate Bill No. 2139," accessed July 3, 2017
  17. ↑ Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey, "Access at Risk: Reproductive Health and Family Planning in New Jersey," February 2017
  18. ↑ Planned Parenthood is an organization that describes itself as providing "reproductive health care, sex education, and information" to individuals worldwide. According to their website, they have 56 local affiliates operating more than 600 health centers nationwide, 25 of which are located in New Jersey. See footnotes 19 and 20.
  19. ↑ Planned Parenthood, "Planned Parenthood at a Glance," accessed July 3, 2017
  20. ↑ Planned Parenthood, "Health centers in New Jersey," accessed July 3, 2017
  21. ↑ This calculation is per 100,000 population in New Jersey and does not exclude people who could not become infected, such as those who are not sexually active, or those who already have one of the three STDs.
  22. ↑ State of New Jersey Department of the Treasury, "The State Budget Process," accessed July 19, 2017
  23. ↑ See the following appropriations bills: Assembly Bill 4100 (FY 2010); Assembly Bill 2800 (FY 2009); Assembly Bill S3000 (FY 2008); Senate Bill S2007 (FY 2007); and Senate Bill S3000 (FY 2006) accessible at State of New Jersey Department of the Treasury, "All FY Publications Library and Archive," accessed August 11, 2017
  24. ↑ New Jersey Legislature, "Senate, No. 3302," accessed July 10, 2017
  25. ↑ United States Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "United States - Health Profile," accessed June 30, 2017
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