Planned Parenthood slams Congress over budget crisis

Michigan Planned Parenthood leader Lori Lamerand said today that extremists in Congress are holding the budget hostage over abortion concerns.

Lamerand is the interim CEO of Planned Parenthood of South Central Michigan and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Mid and South Michigan.

“At this very moment, I am at the nation’s capitol with a ringside seat on the budget circus. It is beyond belief to me that extremists are willing to shut down the government over the red herring of abortion, especially when agreement has been made on $38 billion in cuts, $5 billion more than was on the table last week.

Let me be clear, no federal funds can be used for abortion services as mandated by law. There is no rational reason why this issue is part of the budget discussion.

If the extremists in Congress really cared about the health and welfare of women in this country, they’d be funding Planned Parenthood and Title X, the national family planning program. Ninety-seven percent of what we do is offer life-saving, preventive health care services for three million patients a year, including more than 72,000 Michiganders in Mid, South and Central Michigan. Those services include more than 21,000 breast exams and 21,000 Pap tests, and nearly 80,000 tests for sexually transmitted infections including HIV. These services are offered to those who have lost their insurance and have no ability to pay, a critical service for our state that has suffered such a deep recession.

It is beyond debate that cutting funds for Planned Parenthood has nothing to do with the pressing issue of jump-starting our economy. This is a radical detour on our road to economic recovery. Not only will restricting access to life-saving reproductive health care put women at risk, it doesn’t make economic sense. In Michigan, every dollar spent of family planned saves the state $6.47. This proposal in Congress will COST us money and lives.

It’s an outrage to shut down the government over an extreme proposal that would deny millions of women Pap tests, breast cancer screenings and birth control. Attacking Planned Parenthood’s preventive health care hurts women, does not cut the deficit or fix the economy, and must be stopped.”

Republican leadership in Congress deny Lamerand’s assertions that the show down is over the issue of abortion, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

If Congress does not pass a funding measure by midnight, the federal government will shut down, closing everything from museums to national parks, and sending thousands of federal workers home.