Planned Parenthood Advocates Criticizes Missouri House for Playing Politics with Women’s Health
Contact:
M’Evie Mead, Director of Policy and Organizing
314.531.7526 ext. 348 [email protected]
For Immediate Release: June 20, 2017
$20,000-a-day special session costs could have funded well-woman exams for 100 Missourians every day
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Today the Missouri House bent to pressure from Governor Eric Greitens to pass an even more extreme version of a Senate-approved measure aimed squarely at making it more difficult for Missouri women to access safe, legal abortion.
In response to the Missouri House passage of Senate Bill 5, Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri Director of Policy and Organizing M’Evie Mead released the following statement:
“In addition to rolling back local nondiscrimination protections, Senate Bill 5 imposes additional, medically unnecessary restrictions on abortion providers. The U.S. Supreme Court was clear and concise in its Whole Woman’s Health decision nearly a year ago: any medically unnecessary restrictions on safe, legal abortion, like those in Senate Bill 5, are unconstitutional.
“It’s time for Missouri lawmakers to stop following Gov. Eric Greitens’ lead, spending $20,000 a day on political games. The money spent on just one day of the special session could have provided well-woman exams to 100 Missourians. If the governor is interested in improving women’s health, he should prioritize increasing access to health care over paying politicians to pass medically unnecessary laws.
“Missourians are tired of politicians ignoring the Constitution and denying access to health care in order to climb a political ladder. Lawmakers need to stop interfering with Missourians’ personal, private medical decisions and go back to work creating policies that promote citizens’ health and well-being.”
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