WurfWhile

I’m coming off of a crazy schedule - so a number of things have not gotten the treatment they might have by me - the Planned Parenthood Clinic in Aurora is one. ArchPundit, among others, has done a good job covering Planned Parenthood’s attempt to open a clinic in Aurora, the protesters’ motivation and background, the clinic supporters, the attempt by city government to review and possibly try to prevent the opening, and the legal actions that have followed.

The only thing I want to add to this is my general fear that anti-abortion (and anti-contraception) forces have been very successful over the years making legal abortion and reproductive health services virtually inaccessible for many, particularly low-income women. In the case of abortion almost all rural counties in the U.S. do not have a provider and close to half of the women in the Southeast and Midwest live in counties with no provider. In the case of reproductive health and contraception for low income women (and men), federal Title X money cut in the 1980s has never fully been restored - and funding has been frozen since President Bush took office. Title X money is a major source of funding (26% for the clinics that use it) for low-income, non-abortion reproductive health services, including procedures like pelvic exams and Pap tests, with clients paying based on their income and ability to pay.

It is news to no one that without access to medical care the fact that it is legal matters little. That’s why it’s so important that Planned Parenthood’s clinic in Aurora be allowed to open. Legal, and necessary, health care should be available to everyone - not just those with the means to travel far to get it.