STATEMENT BY LAURIE RUBINER, PLANNED PARENTHOOD VICE PRESIDENT FOR PUBLIC POLICY, ON REP. BRAD ELLSWORTH'S NEW ABORTION LANGUAGE
Contact: Tait Sye, 202-973-4882 For Immediate Release: 11.03.09“Planned Parenthood is concerned about Representative Brad Ellsworth’s proposed legislative language on abortion care in health care reform. Representative Ellsworth has a zero percent rating from the Planned Parenthood Action Fund and has never been a supporter of women’s health and rights.
“Representative Ellsworth’s language purportedly seeks to amend a carefully-crafted and balanced compromise that should have put this issue to rest months ago. The Capps compromise assures that access to abortion care is neither mandated nor prohibited and that women will not lose the health care benefits they have had for decades. It also stipulates that no federal funds can be used for abortion care. We are concerned that this new language could tip the balance away from women’s access to reproductive health care.
“We remain committed to ensuring passage of a bill that expands all Americans’ access to the health care they need.”
The Planned Parenthood Action Fund exists to ensure that elected officials support policies and programs that help women and their families make responsible choices about family planning and reproductive health. The Planned Parenthood Action Fund is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit membership organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The Action Fund engages in educational and electoral activity, including voter education, grassroots organizing, and legislative advocacy.