The House of Representatives pushed back its vote on the health care repeal bill scheduled for Thursday evening. Cindy Whitehead, the woman behind “female viagra,” fears that whatever plan ends up getting implemented would thwart, if not reverse, the progress the US has made when it comes to protecting and representing women’s rights.
Also known as the American Health Care Act (AHCA), the GOP’s replacement plan for Obamacare has drawn criticism for a variety of reasons, including its cuts to Medicare and Medicaid coverage, which directly contradicts President Donald Trump’s campaign promises. And, as many anticipated, it puts funding for Planned Parenthood on the chopping block.
As a champion of women’s sexual health, Whitehead expressed her concern with the looming plan that would make it harder for women to feel empowered about their reproductive rights and sexuality overall.
“I 100% believe reproductive rights are human rights,” she told Yahoo Finance at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas.
Under the proposed plan, the ACHA would cut off funding for nonprofits that focus on family planning and reproductive health; provide abortions (except in cases of rape or incest or when a woman’s life is in danger); and had Medicaid expenditures that exceeded $350 million in 2014.
ACHA & Planned Parenthood
But, according to a CBO report on the AHCA, this language targets Planned Parenthood.
“CBO expects that, according to those criteria, only Planned Parenthood of America and its affiliates and clinics would be affected. Most federal funds received by such entities come from payments for services provided to enrollees in states’ Medicaid programs. CBO estimates that the prohibition would reduce direct spending by $178 million in 2017 and by $234 million over the 2017-2026 period. Those savings would be partially offset by increased spending for other Medicaid service,” it reads.
“To the extent that there would be reductions in access to care under the legislation, they would affect services that help women avert pregnancies. The people most likely to experience reduced access to care would probably reside in areas without other health care clinics or medical practitioners who serve low-income populations.”
The government funds $553.7 million, or 43%, of Planned Parenthood’s total revenue. It receives the federal funding in two distinct ways — through Medicaid and public family planning services.
‘Making good on the sexual revolution’
Whitehead is perhaps best known for being the founder and CEO of Sprout Pharmaceuticals, the company that manufactured Addyi, a female libido pill that was frequently referred to as the “female Viagra.” She sold the company to Valeant (VRX) in 2015 for $1 billion, making her one of the only women in history to have a billion-dollar exit.
“In many ways with Addyi, I felt like we were making good on the sexual revolution — that this was the next step, that we had addressed reproductive rights. And though we don’t always get it right — it’s still controversial — [I felt] that we were moving on, if you will, to satisfaction as a basic right of women as well,” she added.
Whitehead is no longer affiliated with the company, but she said she wakes up every day thinking about Addyi and cheering it on. The product has not actually launched, but she was hoping that both the public and private sectors could build off Addyi’s momentum.
Since leaving Sprout, Whitehead has built The Pink Ceiling, a personal fund that invests in and consults for female-led and female-focused companies like Undercover Colors, a nail polish that identifies the presence of common date rape drugs in various drinks via color change.
“I’m most excited about propelling these other companies to break through. I love the firsts. I love the things that change the conversation and frankly. I hope that I will make a lot of women very wealthy in the process. We talk a lot about women having a voice. I think women need power and I think money in their hands will do a lot of good. We know it by the data — they’ll go back, they’ll reinvest it, they’ll propel other women to success,” she explained.
Whitehead said she was startled by how many pink ceilings women still have to crash through, including the right to feeling in control of her own reproductive rights.
But, perhaps private ventures like The Pink Ceiling will offer a faster route there.
Melody Hahm is a writer at Yahoo Finance, covering entrepreneurship, technology and real estate. Follow her on Twitter @melodyhahm.
Read more:
Facebook head of counterterrorism: We need everybody’s help
How this ride-hailing startup is learning from Uber’s mistakes