New Cantwell Fact Sheet: Republican Bill Threatens to Upend WA’s Reproductive Health System & Increase Costs as Three-Year Dobbs Decision Anniversary Approaches
Health care professionals warn of labor & delivery department closures, higher rates of breast and cervical cancer due to missed screenings, & heightened trauma for sexual assault survivors; Republican bill would bar Planned Parenthood from receiving federal Medicaid funding, straining care options for all
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, one day before the third anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, warned of dire consequences for reproductive health care in Washington state if the Republican reconciliation bill is passed.
“In the State of Washington, Planned Parenthood serves about 100,000 patients annually,” said Sen. Cantwell at a May 14 press conference with Planned Parenthood president Alexis McGill Johnson. “About half of those patients rely on Medicaid. And it accounts for about half of the annual budget of Planned Parenthood [of Greater Washington and North Idaho]. These clinics and their patients count on that delivering care.”
Sen. Cantwell issued a new fact sheet with details about the proposed cuts, and exclusive new testimonials from patients, doctors, and other health care professionals about how the cuts would impact Washingtonians.
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