Executive Statement: CEO Karen J. Nelson on Florida's Enactment of a Six-Week Abortion Ban
For Immediate Release: April 2, 2024
Statement from Karen J. Nelson, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Maryland:
“Yesterday’s decision by the Florida Supreme Court that will allow a six-week abortion ban to take effect in the state is part of a coordinated assault on the reproductive freedom of Floridians and other southerners. The ban is unscientific, politically motivated, and anti-democratic, and we know its ramifications are not confined to the South — that is the point.
Already, 10 percent of Planned Parenthood of Maryland’s abortion patients come to us from out of state. They are forced to travel to Maryland due to bans on their health care at home.
To these patients: We will continue to proactively take measures so that we have the capacity to see you at our health centers. Our Patient Access Team is here to connect you with financial and logistic resources and referrals to help you come to our state for the care you need. Together with our friends in the Maryland General Assembly, we have enacted laws that protect your electronic health records and your right to get abortions in Maryland without fear of consequences back home.
To the anti-abortion judges and politicians in Florida and throughout the country: Abortion bans do not stop people from wanting and needing abortions. Leave decisions about people’s health care—and futures—to patients and their providers.”
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About Planned Parenthood of Maryland
Planned Parenthood of Maryland (PPM) is a not-for-profit family planning agency that provides all Marylanders with education, training, and access to high-quality, affordable sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion, birth control, STI testing and treatment, and gender-affirming care. PPM serves tens of thousands of patients each year at seven locations throughout Maryland and through its telehealth services.
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