To: The Louisiana State House and The Louisiana State Senate
Tell Louisiana's legislature: women and families deserve health care, not politics.
All women and families in Louisiana deserve access to affordable health care. It’s outrageous that politicians want to leave thousands of women without access to high-quality, affordable health care. Sign this petition by May 29th to send a clear message to the Louisiana legislature to stop playing politics with women's health.
Why is this important?
Louisiana's legislature goes out on June 6th. Let’s keep fighting alongside Louisiana’s women and families and against out-of-touch politicians till the end of session! Instead of passing legislation that provides Louisianans with access to health care, politicians at the state capital are passing resolutions that could leave thousands of women without access to lifesaving cancer screenings, birth control, HIV testing, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections.
How Louisiana compares nationally:
• Teen birth rate is higher than the national average; in 2010, teen birth rate was 6th highest in the nation.
• Rates of infection for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis — sexually transmitted infections that can impact fertility — are among the highest in the USA.
• Two of its cities (Baton Rouge and New Orleans) rank 2nd and 3rd highest in HIV infection rate in the county.
There is already a serious shortage of health care providers in the state, and as a result, too many women in Louisiana aren’t getting access to high-quality, affordable health care.
Opportunity to expand care while decreasing costs:
• Passing Medicaid legislation could expand access to health care to as many as 400,000 people.
• Medicaid expansion would also bring 15.7 billion dollars into the Louisiana economy over the next decade, which will help create jobs and support businesses.
• For every $1 spent on family planning services, like those Planned Parenthood provides, an estimated $12 is saved in costs associated with unintended pregnancies.
Louisiana's legislature has an opportunity to EXPAND access to health care to an additional 400,000 Louisianans by expanding Medicaid. What are they doing instead? Passing bills that RESTRICT access to health care in a state that already suffers from some of the greatest health disparities in the country.
Join us as we fight alongside Louisiana’s women and families! Sign this petition by the end of Louisiana’s legislative session, June 6th, to send a message to the Louisiana legislature to stop playing politics with women's health and start providing health care.
Sincerely,
Melissa S. Flournoy, PhD
Louisiana State Director, Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast
How Louisiana compares nationally:
• Teen birth rate is higher than the national average; in 2010, teen birth rate was 6th highest in the nation.
• Rates of infection for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis — sexually transmitted infections that can impact fertility — are among the highest in the USA.
• Two of its cities (Baton Rouge and New Orleans) rank 2nd and 3rd highest in HIV infection rate in the county.
There is already a serious shortage of health care providers in the state, and as a result, too many women in Louisiana aren’t getting access to high-quality, affordable health care.
Opportunity to expand care while decreasing costs:
• Passing Medicaid legislation could expand access to health care to as many as 400,000 people.
• Medicaid expansion would also bring 15.7 billion dollars into the Louisiana economy over the next decade, which will help create jobs and support businesses.
• For every $1 spent on family planning services, like those Planned Parenthood provides, an estimated $12 is saved in costs associated with unintended pregnancies.
Louisiana's legislature has an opportunity to EXPAND access to health care to an additional 400,000 Louisianans by expanding Medicaid. What are they doing instead? Passing bills that RESTRICT access to health care in a state that already suffers from some of the greatest health disparities in the country.
Join us as we fight alongside Louisiana’s women and families! Sign this petition by the end of Louisiana’s legislative session, June 6th, to send a message to the Louisiana legislature to stop playing politics with women's health and start providing health care.
Sincerely,
Melissa S. Flournoy, PhD
Louisiana State Director, Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast