Planned Parenthood Action Fund Statement on Rep. Mike Pence's Announcement About His 2012 Plans
For Immediate Release: May 11, 2012
Statement from Cecile Richards, President of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, on Rep. Mike Pence’s Announcement About his 2012 Plans
“As women voters in Indiana learn that one of Representative Mike Pence’s top legislative priorities is effectively denying access to preventive care for millions of women, he will have difficulty winning their vote as he considers running for governor.
“In the opening days of this Congress, Representative Pence introduced a bill that would have a devastating impact on rural and women’s health in Indiana by denying a significant number of local health centers federal funding for preventive care, including family planning, annual exams, lifesaving cancer screenings, contraception visits, and testing and treatments for sexually transmitted infections. More than 80,000 women in the state, many in rural areas, rely on Planned Parenthood for their primary and preventive health care.
“Americans want their elected leaders focusing on fixing the economy and creating jobs, not pushing an extreme ideological agenda that would take away health care from women.
“In fact, a recent Hart Research poll could not be more clear, showing that 71 percent of all voters, including 60 percent of voters who voted for the Republican candidate for Congress in 2010, disagree with the Pence bill’s restrictions on federal funding.
“That’s why the Planned Parenthood Action Fund is educating the public about the devastating impact of Representative Pence’s bill on rural and women’s health, and his repeated attempts to deny access to basic health care for women.”