Kate Lannaman, Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, responding to the letter "No Need to Back Planned Parenthood" in the Nov. 14 edition of SRQ Daily.

As a person of faith and a leader in the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice at the national level, I am writing in support of Planned Parenthood.  I do so because RCRC and its members share a faith-centered commitment to the most marginalized and vulnerable of our society, and because the elimination of any of clinic services provided by the Planned Parenthood affiliates in Florida will fall hardest on those of low-income who are more likely to be young and people of color. Unlike other federally funded health centers in Florida, many of which are located in elementary or middle schools, Planned Parenthood is alone in being able to provide qualified health care services to prevent unintended pregnancies, to support prevention and treatment for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections and to provide cancer detecting breast screenings and pap smears and well-women examinations.

Planned Parenthood also provides safe, skilled and legal access to abortion care—an important part of reproductive health care—in many of its clinics. Defunding clinics that provide all of these reproductive health care services shows a disturbing disregard for women’s health and safety. RCRC recognizes that every faith tradition has a unique understanding of when life begins but this is a matter of faith, not science. The organization I represent also fully understands the moral complexity surrounding issues of reproductive health. However, RCRC’s commitment to religious freedom calls us—because of our faith, rather than in spite of it—to firmly believe that in a just and righteous society women and families should be fully empowered with the tools needed to decide for themselves whether, when and under what circumstances to have children, as well as to have the resources to raise those children in healthy environments. As a member of the board of RCRC, an organization formed in 1973 by faith leaders who believed that decisions about reproductive health care and parenthood are among the most sacred we can make, I share in the believe that each woman, in accordance with her conscience or faith beliefs, should be allowed to make her own decisions on these matters rather than trying to impose one belief on all. 

Kate Lannaman, Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, responding to the letter "No Need to Back Planned Parenthood" in the Nov. 14 edition of SRQ Daily.