Letter to the Honorable John Boehner, Speaker of the US House of Representatives - Calling on Speaker Boehner to End Extreme Anti-Woman Legislation, Focus on Jobs

Letter

Dear Speaker Boehner:

We are writing to strongly oppose efforts designed to undermine women's access to basic, preventive health care and the women's health providers they rely on in their communities. In particular, we are deeply concerned about the impact that H.R. 217, the "Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act" would have on American women and their families.

H.R. 217 is squarely aimed at Planned Parenthood health centers, which serve 3 million Americans every year--providing life-saving cancer screenings, routine gynecological examinations, contraceptive services, immunizations, and STI testing and treatment. For more than 90 years, Planned Parenthood's doctors and nurses have served as a critical source of health care in communities throughout the United States. One in five American women has received care from a Planned Parenthood health center at some point in her life, making it one of the largest women's health care providers in the country.

We are concerned that some members of Congress are pursuing an agenda that would undercut women's access to health care.

H.R. 217 poses a significant threat to women's health. It would prohibit women's health centers from receiving Title X family planning funds if they separately provide abortion care with private funds. Given that the law already requires women's health centers to demonstrate that Title X funds are not used for abortion, this legislation is clearly intended to prevent Planned Parenthood and other women's health centers from receiving this critical funding stream.

American women will suffer if this legislation becomes law, as Planned Parenthood currently serves 36 percent of Americans who receive health care through the Title X program. Simply put, H.R. 217 would cut millions of American women off from their source of primary care.

Now is the time to be working on the issues that Americans care most about: creating jobs and improving the economy. We strongly encourage that you ensure the House of Representatives is focused on these issues, rather than legislation that takes health care away from American women.

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