GET WITH THE PROGRAM, GOVERNOR

Why does Gov. Deukmejian persist in prolonging the effects of his terrible decision to put the state’s family planning budget? By fighting a court order to restore the two-thirds cut he made to the $36 million program, he demonstrates a baffling intransigence. Worse, he demonstrates a lack of regard for the real-life consequences of such a drastic budget cut.

Budgets figures tend to sound a little dry. But we can offer some other numbers that represent real flesh and blood: In Los Angeles County, some 4,200 women a month can no longer afford to get tested for cervical cancer, venereal disease or pregnancy, or receive family planning counseling. That is because the budget cuts, initiated by the governor and allowed to occur by the Legislature, shut down 37 family planning clinics statewide, with 17 in Los Angeles County alone.

According to family planning officials, more then 75% of the women who frequent the government-funded clinics have an annual income of $12,100 or less for a family of four. Before the cuts took effect in September, these women used to wait two or three days for a clinic appointment. Now, the average wait is six to eight weeks. One does not need to be a doctor to understand what a six-to-eight week delay can mean in diagnosing pregnancy or disease.

Just last week the governor indicated that he was willing to work with legislators to find a solution to this problem when they reconvene in Sacramento next month. A spokesman for the governor said that the court order issued by San Luis Obispo County Superior Court Judge William Fredman violated the principle that the executive and legislative branches ought to settle the matter. But in explaining his order, Fredman cited a principle that the governor seems to have forgotten: Basic health care should not be denied to people because they cannot afford it.

Considering the unintended pregnancies and undetected gynecological diseases that are likely to occur because of the budget cuts, state government must decide to either pay now-- or pay a lot more later. Some 4,200 women in Los Angeles County had better keep their fingers crossed between now and the time the Legislature reconvenes next month.