Defunding Planned Parenthood through healthcare reform measures could leave many women, who use the organization's services for their healthcare needs, without access to care, president Cecile Richards, said Wednesday.
Centers are in medically underserved communities," Richards told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program.
"That means a lot of rural, small town, Midwest communities. One in five women in this country go to Planned Parenthood for healthcare at some point in their lifetime."
The Senate's Better Care Reconciliation Act defends Planned Parenthood for at least one year, and restricts subsidies for insurance plans covering abortions, according to Time.
The bill's draft language also kicks Planned Parenthood out of the Medicaid program, which could be devastating, as Medicaid funds amount to 75 percent of the federal money used by Planned Parenthood.
Federal funding can't be used directly for abortion services, but instead is used to reimburse Planned Parenthood for services such as birth control, clinical breast exams, and other health services. Richards said abortions represent just about 3 percent.
"We get reimbursed just like hospitals and other healthcare providers for providing preventative health services, and in a state like Alaska or Maine, frankly all over the country, women need access to affordable healthcare," said Richards. "That's what Planned Parenthood represents."
Richards said she just visited House Speaker Paul Ryan's district in Kentucky where Planned Parenthood has three centers.
"For many women, we're their only healthcare providers," said Richards. "What it would mean is all the women on Medicaid in that district could no longer come to their healthcare provider, which is Planned Parenthood, and get their basic access to care."
There are many women "absolutely panicked" about losing their healthcare services, said Richards.
"The other thing that's important, we're so proud of the work we've done on preventing unintended pregnancy," said Richards. "We're actually now at an historic low for teen pregnancy in the United States of America. We're at the lowest rate of abortion since Roe vs. Wade was decided."
But, she said, one thing that hasn't been reported much from the Congressional Budget Office's report is that if access is blocked from Planned Parenthood, unintended pregnancies will rise, as well as the rate of abortions.
Defunding Planned Parenthood, for women, is not a political issue, but one about access to affordable healthcare, Richards insisted.
"Last year, we did more than 300,000 breast cancer screenings," she said. "We detected more than 70,000 cancers, even though the Republicans say, they can go anywhere. If you have a lump on your breast, you can't wait one or two months to actually go see a doctor. That's what Planned Parenthood represents."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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