Last Wednesday, the House Appropriations Committee announced in a press release that it would cut $327 million worth of federal funding for Title X, a resolution that the House of Representatives is expected to vote on next week.

Title X is a 40-year-old government program dedicated to providing family planning services for those in need. Started in 1970 by President Richard Nixon, the program is the only source of federal funds dedicated solely to family planning and reproductive health. By law, the funds must be spent on health care other than abortion services, such as contraceptives, pelvic exams and safe-sex counseling.

The cut would effectively wipe out funding for Title X, which was authorized $327 million in 2011 and appropriated $317 million. Most significantly, Title X provides a main source of funding for Planned Parenthood, which received $16.9 million worth of Title X funding in 2009.

In light of our 2011 sex issue, which seeks to provoke dialogue surrounding the sexual norms and sexual health of Washington University’s campus, we feel that this Congressional resolution—despite the lighthearted tone that “frisky forum” would imply—merits a serious conversation.

Six in 10 women who access care from a family planning center such as Planned Parenthood consider it to be a main source of health care, according to data from Planned Parenthood. Furthermore, five million women and men received services through 4,500 community-based clinics in 2008, according to the Department of Health & Human Services.

More important than these numbers are the demographics of those who benefit from this funding. Planned Parenthood provides disproportionate amounts of sexual health care for those who are poor, young and belong to minority groups. For college students, Planned Parenthood is a resource that empowers those who would otherwise not be able to afford oral contraceptives and other sexual health care.

Moreover, the funding provided for Title X provides access to means of contraception other than abortion, which helps to keep women away from the emotional distress and high costs associated with these procedures.

We feel that the push for this legislation from the Republican Party demonstrates a marked fear of sexuality, specifically female sexuality. Though Sex Week is over, we hope that the dialogue it has sparked will continue and that students will take action against the resolution.

We are fortunate enough to attend a school where something like Sex Week is embraced and where a campus publication such as our own can publish a Sex Issue with statistics about STIs in St. Louis and include a cover photo in which students defy gender norms. Part of this openness toward sexuality and sexual health is the result of an insistent push since the 1970s for more dialogue surrounding these issues. We cannot emphasize enough the extent to which we feel that this resolution is a step backward from the work that has taken place over the past 40 years.

We do not want our children to inherit a society in which men and women alike lack access to education about sexual health, nor do we want rates of abortion and sexually transmitted infections to increase. It is our civic duty to take action. We encourage students to write letters to their congressmen voicing their opposition to the resolution. We also encourage those who have benefited from services offered by Planned Parenthood and other community-based clinics to speak out and share their stories.