Statement from PPNHAF and PPNNE Following the House Finance Committee’s Passage of a Budget that Defunds Planned Parenthood and Other Reproductive Health Care Providers
For Immediate Release: March 31, 2021
Statement from Kayla Montgomery, Senior Director of Public Affairs for PPNNE and PPNHAF:
“Make no mistake, the budget that the House Finance Committee just passed defunds Planned Parenthood and other safety net health care providers in a pandemic. It is truly shameful that in a public health crisis, the majority of House budget writers are prioritizing stripping away access to care that low-income and uninsured Granite Staters rely on, including low or no-cost birth control, STD testing and treatment, and cancer screenings.
“In addition to defunding reproductive health care facilities, this callous budget dangerously underfunds the entire New Hampshire’s Family Planning Program, further endangering access to essential reproductive health care for the Granite Staters who already face the greatest barriers to care, including people of color, women, immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, and people in rural communities.
“Even before this pandemic, STD rates were on the rise in New Hampshire, with syphilis and gonorrhea in outbreak status -- and research shows COVID-19 has further interrupted STD screenings.
“State budget writers must put the health and well-being of Granite Staters ahead of political interests by finalizing a budget that appropriately funds essential sexual and reproductive health care.”
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Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (PPNNE) is the largest provider of reproductive and sexual health care for women, men and young people across the State of New Hampshire. We serve New Hampshire residents through 6 health centers in Claremont, Derry, Exeter, Keene, Manchester and White River Junction, VT. In 2019, we saw more than 13,000 patients at these sites.
Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund (PPNHAF) is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England in New Hampshire. The Action Fund engages in educational and electoral activity, including voter education, grassroots organizing, and legislative advocacy. The Action Fund makes independent expenditures on behalf of or in opposition to targeted candidates for public office. PPNHAF maintains a separate, segregated political committee and fund to make direct campaign contributions to endorsed candidates (the PAC).