Defunding Sexual Healthcare Does Not Stop Sex
A topological data analysis of California clinic locations asks a practical question: can other providers actually replace the care lost when a sexual-health clinic closes?
A recent preprint examining sexual-health clinic funding asks a painfully practical question: can other clinics realistically replace the care lost when a major sexual and reproductive healthcare provider closes or loses funding?
The analysis looks at the aftermath of actions like the Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic Supreme Court ruling and federal budget legislation that restrict Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood health centers, and maps the distance between Planned Parenthood locations and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) across California — a state with a large Medicaid population. Using tools built for analyzing the shape of spatial data, the researchers identify where coverage gaps are most severe and where proposed FQHC expansion would and would not actually close them.
A replacement clinic is not a replacement if it is hours away, does not offer the same services, has no appointments, or is not prepared to care for LGBTQ patients.
Sexual-health clinics do much more than provide abortions. Depending on the location, they may offer STI testing and treatment, HIV testing, PrEP referrals, contraception, cancer screening, gender-affirming services, vaccines, and basic preventive care.
Defunding those services does not make people celibate. It makes sex less safe for people with the least money and the fewest transportation options.
As a sex-positive nurse, I refuse the idea that healthcare must be earned through respectable behavior.
The person having sex with one spouse deserves care. The person having sex with six strangers at a festival deserves care. The sex worker deserves care. The person who made a decision they regret deserves care.
Healthcare is not a purity prize.
Original research
Defunding Sexual Healthcare: A Topological Investigation of Resource Accessibility
arXiv (preprint) — Gonzalez-Cruz, Encarnacion, Martinez-Beasley, Wilson, Arosemena, Barreda, Ortega & Cruz
Read the studyPreprint · not yet peer-reviewed
This source is a preprint. It has been shared for early visibility but has not completed formal peer review — treat its findings as preliminary.
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Medical disclaimer
This article shares sexual-health education, research summaries, and personal commentary. It does not provide individual medical diagnosis or treatment. Research findings and public-health recommendations may change as new evidence becomes available. Talk with a qualified healthcare professional about symptoms, testing, medications, prevention options, and decisions affecting your health.
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