Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Planned Parenthood Votes Colorado Statement in Response to the Defeat of SB13-066

Statement by VP of Public Affairs Cathy Alderman:

 Planned Parenthood Votes Colorado applauds yesterday’s 1-3 defeat of SB13-066, sponsored by Senator Owen Hill.

 “SB-66 would have been a duplicative measure in Colorado, where state law already prohibits public funds from being used to directly or indirectly pay for an induced abortion or to reimburse anyone for an induced abortion. The effort was extremely far-reaching and could have banned hospitals and providers from providing care to either Medicaid or Medicare patients simply for referring for abortion services.

 “Additionally, efforts like this are thinly veiled attempts at defunding Planned Parenthood in the state and denying women access to the critical family planning services they require. Over 90 percent of the work Planned Parenthood does is preventive medicine; SB 66, in an attempt to defund Planned Parenthood could bar Planned Parenthood from being  reimbursed by Medicaid and other federal programs for providing women with birth control, cancer screenings, HIV testing, and testing and treatment for other STIs. The rejection of this measure reflects the sentiment of the majority of Colorado voters, 64 percent of whom give a favorable rating to Planned Parenthood.

 “Planned Parenthood stands with our state lawmakers who voted against this measure. Abortion is a complex decision for a woman and politicians should not meddle in that decision by making it more difficult for women to access the service, if and when they need it.”