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Unfair target

According to its 2014-2015 annual report, Planned Parenthood serves 2.5 million people and, through its affiliates, operates 661 health centers in the United States. The proposed American Health Care Act, in its stringent definition of “prohibited entity,” specifically targets Planned Parenthood for defunding because, in addition to its many other excellent health services, the organization provides abortion services. I oppose this provision of the Act for the following reasons:

1. I am not an abortion advocate. I am, however, an advocate of free choice and I support a woman’s right to make her own reproduction decisions. In this very difficult situation, the baby’s life must be considered, but the mother’s future health and welfare must also be considered, and the child’s post-natal future as well. The Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of Federal funds for abortion services, goes far enough. Beyond that, I believe that reproductive rights are none of the government’s business.

2. Punishing an organization for doing something that is legal under U.S. law is capricious and unethical.

3. Punishing the thousands of patients who rely on Planned Parenthood for health services because of this is unfair and unethical.

4. Secretary Price recently said that patients won’t lose out because the Community Health Centers can take up the slack. He seemed to think additional Community Health Center capacity will magically spring up. This claim is deceptive, if not outright dishonest. It is easy to say “add capacity” but actually doing it is difficult, especially in the under-served areas where Planned Parenthood clinics operate. Besides that, the American Health Care Act threatens a significant funding reduction for Community Health Centers such as our excellent River Valley Health & Dental Center here in Williamsport. Services are likely to be cut, not expanded.

The American Health Care Act is a bad bill that creates more problems than it solves. Killing Planned Parenthood is just one of its many flaws. Its passage could be devastating to health care services in Lycoming County and across the country.

Michael Heyd

Montoursville

Submitted by Virtual Newsroom

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