New Bush Regulations Undermine DNC Democratic Platform
DENVER, Aug. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The following is a statement by Mary Jane Gallagher, President & CEO of the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association on these regulations. She is in Denver and is available for comment.
“Last week, the Bush Administration issued regulations that directly counter the Democratic Platform’s renewed commitment to ensuring access to family planning services. This new policy could obstruct access to care by expanding the power of individuals to refuse to provide even the most basic information, counseling and referral for important health care services.
Our members, family planning service providers across the country, work to ensure access to counseling, comprehensive sex education, contraception and preventive health services. Now we must continue to work together to stop this most recent attempt to take away the essential services people need to act responsibly and plan for strong families.
Secretary Leavitt and the Bush Administration know that federal law already prohibits the use of taxpayer money to fund abortion–and that there are already laws that protect health care workers. Federal law has for years carefully balanced protections for individual religious liberty and patients’ access to family planning services. The vast majority of Americans who rely on contraception for family planning will see this as an unconscionable injection of ideology into accepted medical best practices.”
The National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA) is a vital membership organization of dedicated family planning providers – public health departments, hospitals, general health providers and stand-alone reproductive health caregivers. Together, we help people act responsibly, stay healthy and plan for strong families.
National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association
CONTACT: Allison Conyers, +1-202-293-3114 x204, +1-202-834-7143 (cell),or David Castillo, +1-202-293-3114 x209, both of the National Family Planningand Reproductive Health Association
Web Site: http://www.nfprha.org/