It might come as a surprise to Senator Dan Sullivan that most women who use the services provided by Planned Parenthood Health Centers do so because they need low-cost care and have nowhere else to turn. They are not visiting the centers to make a political statement or to annoy anti-abortion supporters.
Senator Sullivan’s form letter, which I received via email in February, parrots many “alternative facts” about Planned Parenthood, including the erroneous belief that federal funds paid to the health centers are used for abortions. His letter fails to acknowledge that in our state, access to health care is incredibly difficult for the many Alaskans who live outside our major cities. One example of how Planned Parenthood is addressing this barrier is an online service for Alaskan women to meet with a health care provider by using an app and to receive contraceptive counseling and supplies. What a great way for a woman in Shaktoolik or Whale Pass to get needed care without traveling to Anchorage or Juneau. No other health provider in Alaska offers this service. Does Senator Sullivan really think our community health centers, whose budgets are being severely scaled back, will pick up all the services Planned Parenthood offers Alaskans?
I have been a patient at a Planned Parenthood center. While I did not enter the building waving a sign or wearing a big pink button, I did receive excellent care and was treated respectfully and professionally. I urge Senator Sullivan to join Senator Murkowski to do what is in the best interests of their constituents. He should cease spreading mistruths and learn what Alaskans really need and want in reproductive health care.
Susan Schrader,
Juneau
