Florida is the latest state to defund Planned Parenthood, as Governor Rick Scott signed into law a bill that bans taxpayer funding for abortion facilities. The measure also requires abortion centers to adhere to basic medical and safety requirements.
Planned Parenthood immediately called the law an assault on health care for women, making the claim that it means women can no longer go to their chosen health care provider.
.@FLGovScott just “defunded” Planned Parenthood in Florida. Here’s what that actually means. #StandWithPP pic.twitter.com/yJce2DsMlt
— Planned Parenthood (@PPact) March 25, 2016
Contrary to the abortion giant’s claim, there is nothing in this bill that prevents women from going to Planned Parenthood if they so choose. Additionally, Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood’s president and CEO, peddled the tired lie that this means women will no longer have access to health care.
“As a result of this bill, thousands of people across Florida may no longer be able to access essential reproductive health care, such as cancer screenings, birth control, and well-woman exams,” Richards said in a statement.
Planned Parenthood, however, is far outnumbered by conventional health care clinics, which provide free or low-cost health care to women who need it. The only thing they don’t offer that Planned Parenthood does? Abortion.
In Florida, there are 29 health care clinics for every Planned Parenthood.
There’s the simple fact that Planned Parenthood isn’t really in the health care business. Their business is abortion. In reality, Planned Parenthood only serves a small percentage of American women, and they’re not the vital health care provider that most American women depend on. (Maybe that’s why they have to lie about the services they provide.)
Under Richards’ leadership, actual health care at Planned Parenthood — cancer screenings, well-woman exams, pap smears, breast exams, prenatal care, etc. — has plummeted. These services all decreased drastically, along with the number of women they serve. The only thing to increase has been abortion.
This bill will protect women, plain and simple, as Planned Parenthood is not an organization that women can trust. Planned Parenthood lies to women, covers up crimes like sexual abuse, rape, and sex trafficking, and manipulates women into getting abortions — and all under the auspice of “health care.” Thank you to Rick Scott for seeing through the lies and doing what he can to protect women.
