Government Shutdown Looms as Lawmakers Battle Over Extreme Attack on Women’s Preventive Healthcare

WASHINGTON DC – With a potential government shutdown on the horizon, an extreme proposal to deny millions of women Pap tests, breast cancer screenings, and birth control is at the crux of whether a federal budget will be passed today.

Planned Parenthood of Southern New England President and CEO Judy Tabar states that, “It is outrageous to shut down the government over a blatant attack on women’s health.  Existing law already prohibits any federal funds from going towards abortion services.  Eliminating funding for Planned Parenthood’s preventive care hurts women, and does absolutely nothing to cut the deficit or fix the economy.”   

Preventive services would be cut by the anti-Planned Parenthood rider, which states that no federal funding can go to Planned Parenthood for any purpose.  Every year, Planned Parenthood doctors and nurses across the country provide nearly one million screenings for cervical cancer, 830,000 breast exams, affordable birth control for 2.5 million patients, and nearly four million tests and treatments for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV testing. 

For 95 years, Planned Parenthood has provided medical care and family planning services to women across the country.  Ninety percent of the healthcare Planned Parenthood provides is preventive.  One in five American women has received care from a Planned Parenthood health center during her lifetime, and last year three million patients came to one of our more than 800 health centers.  We are trusted by millions of women and families, and we deliver care to those who need it most.