{"id":204394,"date":"2025-09-06T07:20:23","date_gmt":"2025-09-06T07:20:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/204394\/"},"modified":"2025-09-06T07:20:23","modified_gmt":"2025-09-06T07:20:23","slug":"city-council-support-planned-parenthood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/204394\/","title":{"rendered":"City Council, Support Planned Parenthood"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

At Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania<\/a> (PPSP) health centers, we make sure Philadelphians have access to compassionate, affordable sexual and reproductive healthcare. We\u2019ve been there for people during their first visit for birth control, their annual cancer screening, or the moment they needed to know \u2014 without judgment \u2014 if they were pregnant. We\u2019ve guided survivors of sexual assault through some of the most difficult days of their lives. And we\u2019ve sat across from patients in exam rooms as they\u2019ve made deeply personal choices about their futures.<\/p>\n

We do this work because every person, no matter their zip code, income, or insurance status, deserves high-quality care. But today, in Philadelphia, that promise is under threat.<\/p>\n

In the face of the devastating loss of Title X funding and an increasingly hostile environment for sexual and reproductive healthcare, we urged Philadelphia\u2019s leaders to rise to the moment by allocating funding for the 20,000 Philadelphians who depend on our care. That funding\u00a0would have supported access to birth control, STI testing and treatment, cancer screenings, wellness exams, and other critical services at our busiest health centers.<\/p>\n

We were looking for our leaders in Philadelphia to stand up for us. To their credit, some members did \u2014 champions like Kendra Brooks and others fought to fund sexual and reproductive care, but ultimately Philadelphia City Council<\/a> and the Mayor finalized a budget that offered $0 to our health centers.<\/p>\n

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Choosing not to act locally right now means choosing to let patients fall through the cracks.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

While other cities are stepping up, Philly is sitting out. New York City offers free abortion pills at health centers and enacted a reproductive healthcare line item of $1.2 million. Atlanta, Baltimore, Columbus, St. Louis and others have created funds to help with the travel and costs associated with seeking sexual and reproductive healthcare.<\/p>\n

But Philadelphia City Council passed a budget that offered nothing. Not a single dollar for sexual and reproductive healthcare in a city where disparities in health outcomes are stark, and where thousands already struggle to find providers they can trust. Their timing could not be worse. Federal and state policies are stripping away funding streams that have kept care within reach for decades. Choosing not to act locally right now means choosing to let patients fall through the cracks.<\/p>\n

The harm isn\u2019t confined to just the city. Across Pennsylvania, patients are being locked out of care because of extremist policies. The so-called \u201cBig Beautiful Bill\u201d that passed earlier this year bars Planned Parenthood health centers from being reimbursed for the treatment of Medicaid patients. For many, especially in underserved communities, other providers simply don\u2019t exist. The reality is that if Planned Parenthood can\u2019t provide care, many patients will struggle to find new providers and consistent care leading to later-stage cancer diagnoses, untreated infections, and unplanned pregnancies.<\/p>\n

Politics won. Patients lost. And public health will suffer for generations.<\/p>\n

Attacks on sexual and reproductive care don\u2019t always look like outright abortion bans. Sometimes they take the form of blocking funding, targeting providers, or erecting hurdles so high that care becomes functionally out of reach. That\u2019s exactly what\u2019s happening now. The loss of Title X funding, the Medicaid ban, and the City\u2019s refusal to step up combine to create a healthcare desert for those who cannot afford it. The message this sends to our patients is that they are expendable.<\/p>\n

Without action, thousands of Philadelphians \u2014 most of them people of color, many living below the poverty line \u2014 will lose access to the care that helps them live healthier, more autonomous lives. In fact, a majority of our patients, 66 percent of them, have incomes under 250 percent of the poverty level, and even more who may not technically meet the poverty threshold still struggle to make ends meet, and will acutely feel the financial strain of losing a healthcare provider. This isn\u2019t just about individual health; it\u2019s about the health of our entire city. When people can\u2019t get preventive care, small problems become emergencies. An untreated STI can lead to infertility. A missed Pap smear can mean a cervical cancer diagnosis years too late. A lack of affordable contraception can derail someone\u2019s education, career, or plans for their family.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re proud to be part of the safety net that catches people before they fall. But even the strongest safety net can\u2019t work if it\u2019s riddled with holes. City leaders have a choice: They can stand by while Philadelphians lose access to trusted providers, or they can invest in the health and future of their constituents. An appropriation for Planned Parenthood is not a handout: It\u2019s a smart, compassionate investment that will save lives, reduce healthcare costs, and affirm that our city believes in bodily autonomy and health equity. Aren\u2019t we one Philly after all?<\/p>\n

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An appropriation for Planned Parenthood is not a handout: It\u2019s a smart, compassionate investment that will save lives, reduce healthcare costs, and affirm that our city believes in bodily autonomy and health equity. Aren\u2019t we one Philly after all?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

We call on City Council and Mayor Parker to revisit this decision immediately upon their return to the fall session. Fill the funding gap. Ensure that every person who needs care can get it, regardless of insurance status or income. We also call on you: our neighbors, patients, and allies, to speak up. Contact your City Councilmember.<\/a> Call the Mayor. Tell them you expect them to protect and defend access to sexual and reproductive healthcare. Remind them that these services are not optional; they are essential.<\/p>\n

We will continue to fight these battles in the courts, in Harrisburg, and in Washington, D.C., but local action matters. Philadelphia can choose to be a leader in protecting and expanding care, or it can follow the dangerous path set by extremists who want to control our bodies and our futures. We know which path we\u2019ll be walking.<\/p>\n

Signe Espinoza is Vice President of Public Policy and Advocacy at Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania. Sarah Scully is\u00a0 Program Assistant at Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

The Citizen welcomes guest commentary from community members who represent that it is their own work and their own opinion based on true facts that they know firsthand.<\/p>\n

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MORE ON WOMEN\u2019S HEALTH<\/strong><\/p>\n

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