Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri Criticizes Gov. Greitens for Playing Politics with Missourians’ Health
Contact:
M’Evie Mead, Director of Policy and Organizing
[email protected]
314.604.7611
For Immediate Release: June 7, 2017
Unnecessary and costly special session caters to anti-reproductive health extremists
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Today, Governor Eric Greitens called on lawmakers to return to Jefferson City for an extraordinary legislative session — costing Missouri taxpayers $20,000 a day — to restrict Missourians’ reproductive health and rights. The governor called for the Legislature to pass more medically unnecessary restrictions targeting abortion providers, and override a St. Louis City law that protects people from being fired or discriminated against for getting pregnant, using contraception or any other reproductive health decision. Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri opposes this extreme, frivolous and expensive effort to endanger women’s health with even more medically unnecessary restrictions on safe, legal abortion.
On the heels of a costly special session and just one month after regular session adjourned, Gov. Greitens is forcing lawmakers to return once again to push more measures that undermine individual rights to access sexual and reproductive health care.
M’Evie Mead, director of policy and organizing for Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri, issued the following statement:
“Since the November election, tens of thousands of Missourians have taken to the streets, filled town halls, and rallied to support reproductive rights, access to abortion, and affordable health care. Planned Parenthood supporters in Missouri, a list that grows by the thousands each month, will not tolerate politicians who promote more government intrusion into their personal reproductive health decisions and think the best use of tax dollars is on more government bureaucracy.
In just the past two years, Missouri lawmakers have rejected millions in federal funds and replaced it with precious, limited state dollars just so they can discriminate against patients and block their ability to access health care from providers that offer comprehensive reproductive health care. Governor Greitens should reject that irresponsible and deeply unpopular measure rather than invite the Legislature to pass more unconstitutional bills that restrict access to health care.”
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