Statement on how defunding Planned Parenthood will hurt the Latino community
For Immediate Release: Aug. 26, 2015
Hey there -- I’m sure you may have heard that senators will vote today at 5:30 pm ET on a bill to block Planned Parenthood health centers from serving patients who rely on publicly funded programs for health care -- stripping millions, including 575,000 Latinas, of the basic preventive health care including lifesaving cancer screenings, well-woman exams, birth control, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections they rely on each year.
I wanted to make sure that you had our statement from Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Action Fund on how defunding Planned Parenthood will hurt the Latino community. I’ve included it below in both English and Spanish. I’ve also included some Latino-specific background on how many Latinos we serve, how Latinos are disproportionately impacted by various reproductive health issues highlighting their undeniable need for access to affordable care, and some background on the Latino communities support for abortion and contraception.
There are several Latino-focused organizations that have signed on to a letter to members of Congress today urging them not to defund Planned Parenthood. You can view the letter here.
If you would like to speak to one of our Latina patients about how her personal experience relying on Planned Parenthood for care please feel free to reach out to me and I would be happy to set up an interview.
Thanks so much,
Daniela Ramirez
Press Officer
Statement from Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Action Fund:
“Let’s talk about what ‘defunding Planned Parenthood’ really means — threatening health care services for the 2.7 million people, including more than 575,000 Latinos who rely on Planned Parenthood health centers each year for basic health care. It’s basic preventive health care — lifesaving cancer screenings, well-woman exams, birth control, STD testing and treatment. The Latinos who benefit from this funding often have limited health care access and are disproportionately at risk as they are more likely to be diagnosed with cervical cancer, more likely to die from breast cancer, and have higher rates of HIV and STDs than non-Latinos.
"Planned Parenthood is often the primary health care provider for Latinos in this country. They turn to Planned Parenthood for the quality, compassionate care our patients have relied on for nearly 100 years. In fact, one in five women will rely on Planned Parenthood for health care in her lifetime. This may be a political talking point for some, but for the Latino women, men, and young people we serve, it’s quite literally a matter of their well-being.”
Declaración de Cecile Richards, presidenta de Planned Parenthood Action Fund:
"Vamos a hablar de lo que realmente significa ‘desfinanciar a Planned Parenthood’ - amenazar los servicios médicos de 2.7 millones de pacientes, incluyendo a más de 575,000 latinos que dependen de los centros de salud de Planned Parenthood cada año para servicios de atención médica. Son los servicios de atención preventiva - exámenes de detección de cáncer que salvan vidas, exámenes de bienestar de la mujer, anticonceptivos, y exámenes y tratamiento de infecciones de transmisión sexual (ITS). Los latinos que se benefician de estos fondos a menudo tienen pocas opciones con respecto al acceso al cuidado de salud y se ven desproporcionadamente en riesgo ya que son más propensos a ser diagnosticados con el cáncer cervical, más probabilidades de morir de cáncer de mama, y tienen tasas más altas de VIH y enfermedades de transmisión sexual que esos que no son latinos.
"Planned Parenthood es a menudo el proveedor principal de atención de la salud para los latinos en este país. Ellos recurren a Planned Parenthood por el cuidado compasivo de alta calidad, en el queque nuestros pacientes han confiado por casi 100 años. De hecho, una de cada cinco mujeres dependerá en Planned Parenthood para cuidado de salud en su vida. Esto puede ser un tema de conversación política para algunos, pero para los hombres, mujeres, y jóvenes latinos que servimos, es literalmente una cuestión de su bienestar.”