Planned Parenthood Applauds Effort by 47 Senators to Protect Women’s Access to Preventive Care
For Immediate Release: May 4, 2017
As House Republican Leadership Celebrates Stripping Women of Basic Health Care, Senate Champions Move to Protect It
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Planned Parenthood Federation of America applauded Senators Jon Tester (D-MT), Patty Murray (D-WA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) for leading a group of 47 Senators in introducing the Save Women’s Preventive Care Act, which aims to protect the access to no-cost preventive health care, including the full range of birth control methods, that women have today under the Affordable Care Act. This legislation would codify the Women’s Preventive Services Guidelines, established by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), helping safeguard these landmark women’s health protections against attacks by anti-women’s health politicians.
The bill comes as the House today voted to “defund” Planned Parenthood -- blocking women from access to basic care at Planned Parenthood like cancer screenings, birth control, and STD testing and treatment -- and repeal the Affordable Care Act, stripping women of maternity care and threatening health insurance for 24 million people.
Statement from Dawn Laguens, Executive Vice President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America:
Today, the House passed the worst bill for women in a generation. At a time when health care for millions is under threat, we applaud our champions in the Senate who are working to protect women's health care. The Save Women’s Preventive Care Act ensures that being a woman cannot be considered a pre-existing condition and safeguards women’s access to necessary care such as birth control and annual check-ups.
“We are grateful to have champions like Senators Tester, Murray and Blumenthal, and more than 40 of their colleagues standing with women. These leaders understand that access to preventive care is fundamental to women’s health and economic success. And they understand we can’t move our country forward while taking more than half our population backward.
The Save Women’s Preventive Care Act would protect access to no-cost preventive health care services that millions have come to rely on. The Affordable Care Act’s Preventive Health Services provision has meant that more than 55 million women have access to no-copay preventive services, including birth control, STI screenings, and life-saving preventive services such as breast cancer screenings and Pap tests.