Texas Researchers Who Confirmed Planned Parenthood Cuts Harm Women Are Now Under Attack
Two researchers for the Texas Health and Human Services agency are finding out what Republicans do when they encounter scientific studies that contradict right wing orthodoxy — they attack and smear the people who conducted the study.
Rick Allgeyer, director of research for more than 20 years, and program specialist Imelda Flores-Vazquez are under fire from anti-choice fanatics and may be disciplined by the agency, because they published a study in the highly-respected New England Journal of Medicine confirming that cuts to Planned Parenthood lead to restricted access to women’s health care, especially for disadvantaged women.
Powerful Republican state Sen. Jane Nelson dismissed the findings as invalid, in part because the research was funded by the nonprofit Susan T. Buffet Foundation, which is a major supporter of Planned Parenthood and other abortion rights groups.
She also questions why two state health employees were among the study’s five co-authors.
“It’s one thing for an agency to provide data upon request. It’s quite another to be listed as a ‘co-author’ on a deeply flawed and highly political report,” said Nelson, an architect of Texas’ current women’s health program. “I’ve communicated strong concerns to the agency. This should not have happened, and we need to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
This really shows what’s behind the anti-Planned Parenthood agenda — and it’s certainly not concern for women’s health. These religious fanatics don’t care that they’re causing great harm to women. If facts conflict with their agenda, they’ll simply dismiss the facts out of hand and attack the researchers responsible for bringing them to light.
Planned Parenthood officials said the study showed the impact of “politically motivated” decisions.
“The truth hurts. Unfortunately for Texas officials, disliking a study doesn’t make it not true,” said Yvonne Gutierrez, executive director of Planned Parenthood Texas Votes.
Flores-Vazquez and Allgeyer collaborated on the study with University of Texas researchers who are analyzing the impact of women’s health laws passed by the Texas Legislature in recent years. School researchers say the Buffet Foundation plays no role in their work.
