Today’s L.A. Times letters to the editor, because our voices matter:
Attacking women’s rights
Re “House Republicans see timely target in Planned Parenthood,” Feb. 11
This article underscores House Republicans’ attempts to push an ideological agenda under the guise of saving money. The proposed bills would actually end up costing money, because for every dollar invested in family planning, $3.74 in Medicaid-related expenses is saved, according to the government.
Indiana Republican Rep. Mike Pence‘s legislation would block funding that provides basic preventive healthcare. Americans elected these leaders to fix the economy and create jobs, but instead they are using this opportunity to push a social agenda.
In these hard economic times, cutting money-saving preventive healthcare programs affects millions of low-income women and their families across the country.
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Pence and others in Congress are linking themselves with a discredited activist group, Live Action, to disable Roe vs. Wade without the lengthy process of a court or legislative battle. This is bad public policy.
Planned Parenthood uses no federal funds for abortion-related services. In fact, many Planned Parenthood clinics provide no abortions at all; what they do provide is a broad range of reproductive health services for men and women.
Eliminating the national family planning program would result in millions of women across the country losing access to such basic healthcare as cancer screenings, contraception, HIV testing and counseling, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, and annual exams.
The long-term effects on our healthcare system would be enormous.
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Because Planned Parenthood supplies basic healthcare as well as needed family planning services to women, it is an indispensable organization.
I consider the Republican position on defunding it a direct attack on women. Bravo for Democratic support of women’s rights!
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