Senators Clinton and Murray Move to Protect Women's Health Care

ALBANY, NY (11/21/2008)(readMedia)--

Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood President/CEO Patricia McGeown today commended Senators Hillary Clinton and Patty Murray for their effort to block the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from issuing a midnight regulation that would put women's access to basic health care in jeopardy. Clinton and Murray yesterday introduced the Protecting Patients and Health Care Act recognizing that, with this sweeping regulation, HHS exceeded its authority under the statutes it is claiming to interpret.

"Senators Clinton and Murray are true champions of women's health," stated UHPP President/CEO Patricia McGeown, "and their proposed legislation sends a strong signal to administrative agencies that Congress will not stand by as those agencies try to slip in ill-conceived midnight regulations."

The proposed regulation would allow providers, based on their personal biases, to withhold both services and the critical information women need to make fully informed decisions about their health care. HHS submitted its proposed rule in late August 2008, and is in violation of a White House directive to administrative agencies to finalize all proposed regulations by November 1, 2008. During the 30-day public comment period, roughly 200,000 comments were submitted in opposition to this regulation from medical associations, women's health organizations, members of Congress, state governors and attorneys general, religious leaders, and the general public.

"In a free society," asserted McGeown, "access to the full range of reproductive health services and comprehensive, medically accurate information should be standard care. But this administration believes that a woman's access to health services should be limited by anyone's and everyone's religious or moral beliefs. It's appalling how little regard the administration has for a woman's conscience and moral conviction. This country faces a huge crisis in the form of uninsured and underinsured men and women who do not have access to affordable, quality, necessary medical services. This administration should be tearing down barriers and not inventing reasons to erect more."

This week, PPFA, the Center for Reproductive Rights, and the American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to the U.S. Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) at the Office of Management and Budget, urging OIRA to take its responsibilities seriously with respect to HHS.

For complete information on the regulation, including links to the official comments from elected officials and advocacy organizations, go to http://www.plannedparenthood.org/issues-action/birth-control/stop-president-bushs-massive-sellout-womens-health-care-21522.htm.

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Posted Friday November 21, 2008 at 02:29 pm by Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood