Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011

Floor Speech

SPEECH OF
HON. LAURA RICHARDSON
OF CALIFORNIA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011

The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1) making appropriations for the Department of Defense and the other departments and agencies of the Government for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2011, and for other purposes:

Ms. RICHARDSON. Mr. Chair, I move to strike the last word.

I rise today in strong opposition to the Pence Amendment to the Republican Continuing Resolution which would eliminate all federal funding to Planned Parenthood facilities across the country.

Planned Parenthood has been a vital healthcare provider for low and moderate income women since its formation in 1916. It is one of the largest providers of basic healthcare in the country offering a variety of services including cancer screenings, HIV/AIDS testing, blood pressure examinations and general reproductive care for more than 3 million patients annually.

If passed, this amendment would have a detrimental impact on women's access to basic healthcare services and would severely limit a woman's right to control her own reproductive health.

Over 90% of the services Planned Parenthood administers are preventative care services that keep low and moderate income women healthy. Planned Parenthood also gives women access to contraception and important family planning services.

6 in 10 women who receive healthcare from women's health centers such as Planned Parenthood consider these facilities to be their primary source of basic, preventative care. Taking away these options for millions of women is not acceptable.

Research has shown that every dollar invested in family planning programs saves American taxpayers $4. Clearly, the goal of this amendment is not to reduce the deficit but to restrict women's access to basic healthcare services.

In the long-term, the preventative care services that Planned Parenthood offers will certainly save millions of dollars for the American taxpayer who would otherwise be forced to foot the medical bills of patients who had been denied access to preventative care services as a result of this amendment.

The Republicans claim that this Continuing Resolution is about cutting the deficit. However, this amendment is inconsistent with that objective. Instead of focusing on creating jobs, an issue that is at the center of the American people's mind, the Republicans are focusing on eliminating funding to health centers that actually save the American taxpayers money.

In these tough economic times, women who rely on health centers such as Planned Parenthood for basic care may not have any other options for seeking treatment if funding for these facilities were to disappear.

This amendment does not reduce the deficit, it does not create jobs and it severely hinders women's right to affordable, basic healthcare.

Thank you.

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