WHAT: Planned Parenthood Arizona is hosting a free mobile mammography clinic and community fair, supported by a grant from the Phoenix Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Mammography has proven to be the single most beneficial tool in detecting early and treatable cancer. The goal of screening exams, such as mammograms, is to find cancers early before it has a chance to grow and treatment works best. - See more at:
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/p...45.2056651489.1488986129#sthash.Duleu4kS.dpuf
Planned Parenthood’s
annual report shows it gave 487,029 breast exam services for women in 2013. This is a
clinical breast exam, checking for changes or lumps in women’s breasts. If the doctor finds something abnormal or worth checking out, the patient is referred for a mammogram, which requires X-rays given at a licensed radiology facility. Planned Parenthood does administer Pap tests and HPV tests, both of which screen for cervical cancer.
Richards said during the hearing that Planned Parenthood clinics do not have mammogram machines. The Federal Drug Administration’s list, updated weekly, of certified mammography facilities
does not list any Planned Parenthood clinics. Some Planned Parenthood affiliates host free mammography mobile vans for low-income and uninsured women.
Despite the ongoing emphasis on Planned Parenthood’s mammogram referrals, this service does not reflect the core clients of the organization — certainly not clients in the reproductive age or have the highest rate of first-time abortions. Mammograms are recommended
once a year for women 40 to 49, and every other year for women 50 to 74 years. Referrals are less commonly made for women under 40.
In 2013, about 7 percent of Planned Parenthood clients were women over 40 years old. This figure has remained steady over the past few years, according to the organization. So, when people talk about Planned Parenthood clients who need mammography referrals the most, they are referring to a small percentage of total patients.
Further, less than 3 percent of the breast exams offered at Planned Parenthood resulted in mammography referrals. Out of 487,029 breast exams in 2013, about 14,000 resulted in a client referral for mammography and other specialized providers, according to Planned Parenthood.
Proponents argue that defunding Planned Parenthood would mean women would lose “access” — the key word — to mammograms. The argument is that pulling federal funding — the majority of which is through Medicaid reimbursements for low-income women — means fewer women would use Planned Parenthood for family planning or reproductive care. As a result, fewer women would get free or low-cost breast exams, which could lead to mammography referrals.
On the other side, opponents argue federally qualified health centers can absorb what Planned Parenthood does – a point that is still in question (
we explored this in another fact check) and that money should be directed to centers that actually do mammograms. A recent study in the Journal of Women’s Health found that about
two-third of these centers in 2012 offered mammography. However, the breast cancer screening rates at these centers were lower than the national average, and offering screening was most effective in urban or white counties.
Maloney, other Democratic lawmakers and Richards say that women have “access” to mammograms through Planned Parenthood.
As we noted in 2012, we recommend using terminology that clearly show Planned Parenthood does referrals, rather than actual mammograms. “Access” is still a slippery word as it can be misconstrued, but it is more accurate than “provides.”
Maloney said in a statement: “Anyone who has ever had a routine well woman visit understands that after a breast exam, a doctor may refer a woman to a radiologist for a mammogram. In her testimony, Cecile Richards made it clear that is exactly what Planned Parenthood does, and that’s precisely what I was referring to. Attempts to split hairs on this issue ignores the more important point: many women would not have access to mammograms without Planned Parenthood. Many Planned Parenthood clinics hosts visits by mobile-mammogram vans, and help women find grants to pay for mammograms so that they can afford these services.”
The Pinocchio Test
The myth that Planned Parenthood actually offers mammogram X-rays to patients has been long debunked, and needs to stop being repeated. Planned Parenthood does not administer mammograms, but it keeps being perpetuated by the group’s supporters, including celebrities whose claims have a wide reach.
When Democratic lawmakers or other supporters assert that Planned Parenthood “provides” mammograms, this is highly misleading language because it could be interpreted to mean that the group directly administers the X-rays. The group does not “provide” mammograms. Rather, the situation is similar to other clinics where patients are referred to a licensed facility that can provide biopsies, X-rays or other specialized services. It is slightly more accurate to say that women have “access” to mammograms via Planned Parenthood, though it’s still slippery language.
We uphold the rating we gave to the president in 2012, and award Three Pinocchios to Planned Parenthood supporters’ continued use of misleading language to suggest that it directly administers mammograms. In fact, supporters should drop this talking point, given that less than 3 percent of Planned Parenthood breast exams result in a referral for a mammogram and other specialized services.
Three Pinocchios
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