Posted on February 1, 2012

By The Breast Cancer Action Team

Women’s healthcare is under assault once again. Susan G. Komen for the Cure is pulling all funding for Planned Parenthood, an outrageous decision that threatens women’s access to vital health services. But what’s particularly harsh is this funding cut will impact underserved communities most. These funding cuts to Planned Parenthood will harm the very women Komen purports to care about.

Let’s be very clear about who will be harmed most by funding cuts to Planned Parenthood: women without health insurance and low income women, disproportionately women of color. Planned Parenthood provides vital health services including screening, clinical exams, referrals for ultrasounds and biopsies, and breast health education, often to women who do not otherwise have access to healthcare. 1 in 6 women of reproductive age get their healthcare through Planned Parenthood.

In other words, Planned Parenthood provides crucial health services for women who would not otherwise get the healthcare they need. All women should have access to the same choices about healthcare. The care a woman receives should not be based on the type of insurance or financial resources that she has or does not have access to—or political agendas.

Women’s health is women’s health, period. We insist on our rights as women to choose and control our health needs. Women should be in control of their medical decisions and choices without regard to politics, corporate interest, or the agendas of others. Organizations that are truly committed to women’s health must put women’s health before politics. We stand with Planned Parenthood in our shared commitment to putting women’s health first.