Illinois action blog

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The Fight for Health Care Continues

Friday night's decision regarding the Title X budget cuts was a huge victory for Planned Parenthood, our supporters, and our patients. Despite the stress and severity of the event, we are grateful for the countless supporters who rallied, organized, and spoke out for women's health. Unfortunately, the fight isn't over yet.

Over the weekend, House leadership proposed a free-standing bill that once again targets Planned Parenthood and its services.As part of the final spending deal, House Republican leaders demanded that the Senate vote on a proposal to bar Planned Parenthood from providing birth control and lifesaving cancer screenings and other care to millions of women. Having failed last week to bar Planned Parenthood from participating in federal health programs, these leaders are trying once again to deny women access to the doctors and nurses at Planned Parenthood health centers.

Rep. Mike Pence and his allies continue to stand by their argument that cutting funding for one of America's most trusted and cost-effective providers of basic women's health care is intended to reduce federal funding for abortion. But this is just a ruse. Congress banned federal funding for abortion through the Hyde Amendment over 30 years ago. This is not about abortion--it's about denying millions of men and women access to cancer screenings, STI tests, and affordable birth control. By blocking access to these services,the need for abortion will actually increase.
“The continued misleading attacks on Planned Parenthood expose a cynical and coldhearted willingness to further a divisive political agenda even if it willdeny women access to lifesaving cancer screenings and birth control," said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

The proposal is bad politics and a bad decision, and most Americans know it. CNN released a poll yesterday showing that 65 percent of Americans favor continued support for Planned Parenthood. We know how valuable these services are to women and men all over the country, and we don't intend to let extremists take them away. The House is expected to vote on the measure tomorrow and the Senate on Thursday. Let's finally put an end to this attack! Stay tuned for the latest news on this fight.

Technorati tags: Planned Parenthood, budget, Pence

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