Planned Parenthood to FL Lawmakers:
Bring Focus Back to Women's Health
Posted March 25, 2013 08:05 am | Public News Service
TALLAHASSEE,
FL - More than two million women and teenaged girls in
Florida lack access to health care. It's a problem
women's health advocates say should be a priority for
state lawmakers. But in the House, lawmakers are pushing
ahead with a bill that would give a non-viable embryo
the same legal status as a newborn child.
Judith Selzer, vice president for public policy at the Florida Association of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, believes state representatives should refocus their efforts.
Links:
•
Planned Parenthood - Florida
• Florida Women's Health at Risk: The Report
•
Woman's Health.gov
•
Girl's Health.gov
"It inserts politics where it doesn't belong," she charged. "Legislation should be created, not with the intent of coercing a woman, but to provide help and care to families."
Selzer said that if it is successful, the bill (HB 1129) could endanger a woman's right to seek a safe and legal abortion. Supporters of the legislation say it was written to force doctors to offer medical treatment to any infants born alive during an abortion procedure.
A
report released this month by Planned Parenthood
found that Florida ranks second in the country for the
numbers of women and teenaged girls with HIV. Selzer
thinks lawmakers should focus on the health of their
citizens.
"Right now, the legislative body has a real opportunity
to expand access to health care," she asserted.
"Instead, they're focusing on trying to restrict women's
access to health care, and we think the legislative body
has their priorities wrong."
According to the Planned Parenthood report, Florida has
the 12th-highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation.
Selzer said abortions represented only 4 percent of
Planned Parenthood affiliate services in the state last
year, with the majority being education and preventive
health screenings.
Links and photos added by the Observer
Photo: Woman's Center of Michigan