To the Editor,

Last week, Seventh District Representative Fischbach updated us on her work in Washington.  She highlighted her bill “Defund Planned Parenthood Act.” She wrote this, “in 2020, they performed 383,460 abortions while the amount of prenatal services that they provided dropped from 40,000 to 9,000 in just 10 years.” Here’s what she didn’t show.

2.16 million patients seen

372,000 pap tests and breast exams

2.19 million birth control service

4.45 million sexually transmitted infection tests and treatments

For many low-income women in dense urban centers, Planned Parenthood is their access to affordable women’s healthcare. The Hyde Amendment of 1977 already prohibits use of federal funds for abortions except to save the mom’s life or if there is a rape. So what is Rep Fischbach doing?

Think about it, there are nearly 70 million women and girls of reproductive age in the US (13 to 45 years old). These clinics are in cities. Many have unsafe violent neighborhoods. Where men and boys shoot each other with impunity, do you think they are treating women and girls with respect? These clinics help families protect their daughters and sisters, and women protect themselves.

One thing that struck me is the number of abortions is less than 40 percent of what activists claimed. I have long suspected these groups have been “goosing up” numbers to outrage the public, telling you average women are selfish and evil, must be controlled by law.

Rep. Fischbach has an unwavering focus of taking away the right for a woman to decide when she will bear children. In 2022, she voted against a bill ensuring women the legal right to birth control pills.  Funny, she didn’t tell us about that one.

Teresa Muckala, 

New York Mills