Women Council Members Back Fam-Plan Funds
Cole, Morrison, Shade back family planning funds – including abortion spending – in healthcare budget
By Wells Dunbar, 3:16PM, Thu. Dec. 10, 2009
Reproduction rights advocates got a boost from City Council's better half, who came out today in support for comprehensive family planning funding – including abortion coverage – in the budget vote facing the Travis County Healthcare District Board tonight.
Newsdesk wrote up the controversy here, centering around the $450,000 alloted in the county health district's proposed budget for family planning services, a portion of which would go towards paying for abortions.
City council members Sheryl Cole, Laura Morrison, and Randi Shade addressed a letter to the board today in support of all the funding. Noting that care recipients, as part of the district's Medical Assistance Program, fall under 100% of the poverty line, they write "these women are our most vulnerable population and have nowhere else to turn for quality healthcare. Given the recent national healthcare debate and the state of our economy, MAP services are more vital now than ever before."
Courtesy of Morrison's Twitter feed, the letter can be viewed here.
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City Council, Laura Morrison, Randi Shade, Sheryl Cole, Reproductive Rights, Travis County Healthcare District
