In response to the letter “Defund Planned Parenthood” (Sept. 14, TribLIVE), we have several corrections.
1. Half of Pennsylvania is not anti-abortion. The latest polling shows that as much as 89% of Pennsylvanians support access to abortion.
2. The governor did not veto funding for Real Alternatives. His administration terminated the contract. Funding still exists for expanded health care services to women.
3. Pennsylvania cannot “defund Planned Parenthood,” as Planned Parenthood does not have any direct funding in the state budget despite offering the full spectrum of sexual and reproductive health care. When folks like this letter-writer cry “defund Planned Parenthood,” they aren’t going to see an end to abortion. What they’ll find is communities losing their only provider of STD testing, or HIV prevention and treatment, and contraceptive care. People in rural and underserved areas will see a sexual and reproductive health care crisis greater than the one they already face.
We applaud Gov. Josh Shapiro for looking for new providers of reproductive health care services in those underserved communities, and severing ties with an organization that has done little but deceive and mismanage.
Signe Espinoza
Conshohocken
The writer is stateside executive director of Planned Parenthood.