“Planned Parenthood of Illinois strongly supports the Protecting Women’s Access to Health Care Act introduced by Representative Bob Dold (IL-10),” said President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Illinois Carole Brite.  “Women deserve access to basic preventive reproductive health care such as lifesaving cancer screenings, STD testing and treatment, and birth control regardless of their ability to pay for it. This act would ensure that qualified health centers that treat low-income women cannot be denied federal Title X funds on the basis that they provide abortion services with non-Title X funds as required by law.”

“According to the Guttmacher Institute, Title X–supported family planning centers served 4.7 million women in 2008,” said Brite. “The contraceptive services provided at these centers helped women and couples avoid 973,000 unintended pregnancies, which would have resulted in 433,000 unplanned births and 406,000 abortions. Without these services, unintended pregnancy and abortion in the United States would be one-third higher. And by helping women avoid unintended pregnancies, Title X–supported family planning centers saved taxpayers $3.4 billion in 2008—or $3.74 for every $1 spent on contraceptive care.”

“As a breast cancer survivor, I know firsthand about the importance of access to health care for women,” said former Illinois Lieutenant Governor Corinne Wood.  “Title X funding can be life-saving to many women whose only access to mammograms and routine cancer screenings are through this program.  I firmly support this legislation as it ensures all women have access to health care and provides a vital resource to our communities."

Background Information:

During the FY2011 budget debate, Rep. Dold spoke out on the House floor against a legislative effort to prohibit health care funding to Planned Parenthood and was one of seven Republicans to vote to oppose the amendment.

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