Friday, June 7, 2019

Letter to the Editor: Alabama Callous to Women's Health Care

Originally published in the Albany Times Union on June 4, 2019


The majority of Americans are outraged at the hatred sweeping across Republican-controlled states. Alabama is the most recent extreme example of denying women health care. The callousness of the legislators is stunning. Women's lives will be in jeopardy, but they don't care.

If these legislators truly cared about saving lives, they should be working to fix a worsening health care problem in their state, not dismantling what little access to health care Alabamians have left. Watching the 25 white, male state senators who voted, it is clear they just want to control women and not allow them to have control over their own bodies and lives. Their hypocrisy is incredible since there are no laws restricting men's access to any form of health care. Medical decisions for a patient should be made by the patient and her doctor, not politicians.

This is a concerted effort to ban abortions. It is an attack on all women and everyone who loves them. Nearly a dozen states have passed restrictions or bans on abortion so far this year. With President Donald Trump in the White House and Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court, state politicians are emboldened to try to fully ban safe, legal abortion. It is a scary time to be a woman.

People across the country want more health care, not less. They want representatives who will fight the unethical Title X gag rule and increase support for crucial public health programs like sexually transmitted infections testing/treatment, cancer screenings and other essential care furnished by quality providers such as Planned Parenthood.

Cathie Love