Not a nickel of Planned Parenthood's federal funding is used for abortions. But some of the $75 million Republicans want to strip from Planned Parenthood does pay for things like screenings for cervical cancer, breast exams and testing for sexually transmitted diseases.

GOP leaders may say this is about deficit reduction, but when they go after funding for Planned Parenthood and Title X, what they are really doing is targeting women's health care programs as part of their cultural agenda.

People should be outraged. Cutting monies to Planned Parenthood and family funding will cost lives and jobs and ultimately ratchet up health care expenses.

Once again the GOP failed in its attempt to cut subsidies for Planned Parenthood as part of its latest stop-gap federal funding plan for 2011, but women's health programs are sure to remain a target.

The Republicans maintain Planned Parenthood is fair game, since it offers abortion procedures. Confronted with the fact that federal funds cannot be used for abortions, GOP leaders argue that the use of government monies for other health care issues for needy women - like the 1 million annual screenings for cervical contraception or the contraception it provides to nearly 2.5 million patients each year - frees up money for abortion.

What a nonsensical argument.

By the way, what would be the cost in human services of all those unintended pregnancies? Or for the treatment of millions of Medicaid patients with advanced breast or cervical cancer that wasn't detected by screening?

Another Republican target, Title X, the nation's family planning program, has since 1970 played a key role in reducing unintended pregnancies. More than 5 million patients depend on Title X for basic primary and preventive health care, including annual exams, cancer screenings, contraception and STD testing.

These programs have proven effective. The GOP is entitled to its culturally conservative agenda, but should not mask its attack on women as deficit reduction.