PPMW responds to the cascading impacts of Florida’s near-total abortion ban
For Immediate Release: May 1, 2024
Washington, DC — Today, Florida’s 6-week abortion ban goes into effect, with impacts felt not just in Florida, but across the region. Dr. Laura Meyers, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, DC (PPMW), says:
“The near-total abortion ban going into effect today in Florida will further decimate abortion access for pregnant people across the South, who are already traveling hundreds of miles to access abortion care since the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Since the inception of PPMW’s patient navigation program in fall 2022, nearly 60% of the patients our patient access navigator has supported came from Florida and its surrounding states. As the devastating impacts of this ban cascade across the region, we expect to see a continued surge in patients not only from Florida, but also from Georgia and the Carolinas.
“Make no mistake, PPMW is fiercely committed to providing compassionate, expert care to all of our patients, whether they are from our local community or are forced to travel in order to reach our doors.”
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Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, DC (PPMW) provides high-quality, affordable reproductive health care; promotes education programs that empower all individuals to make informed reproductive choices; and protects the right to make those choices. PPMW is the oldest and largest provider of family planning services in Metropolitan Washington, serving Washington, DC; Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland; and Northern Virginia.