DeLauro Speaks Against Legislation to Defund Planned Parenthood

WASHINGTON, DC—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) released the following statement today opposing legislation before the House of Representatives today that would defund Planned Parenthood.

DeLauro spoke against the bill on the floor of the House of Representatives yesterday. Her remarks can be viewed here and below.

“With this bill, the Majority has declared war on the health and wellbeing of millions of women.

“Planned Parenthood serves 2.7 million Americans every year with lifesaving services like pap tests, breast exams and screenings for sexually-transmitted infections. And for many low-income families, Planned Parenthood is their only option.

“The Majority claims that other clinics can take up the slack. But just listen to Dr. Mark DeFrancesco, the President of the American Congress of OBGYNs: ‘If Planned Parenthood went away, there’s a good number of people just in my service area that no longer have a doctor…If they start calling my office it’s going to be we ‘Well, we could take you but it might be two, three months down the road.’ If they call other places, it might be, ‘We can’t even take you.’

“This bill creates chaos and in that chaos, people’s lives will be put at risk. This bill is spiteful, mean-spirited, and it is cruel. This bill tells millions of low-income Americans ‘Forget your health. You can just die.’ Enough is enough. I urge colleagues to vote against this bill.”

DeFrancesco lives in Waterbury, Connecticut, part of DeLauro’s congressional district. In 2013 alone, Connecticut’s 17 Planned Parenthood centers treated 64,001 total patients. Its physicians administered 8,806 total pap tests and 3,087 total breast exams, in addition to HIV tests, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections.


###