Last week, the state House approved its version of the state budget, which has a provision that would bar Planned Parenthood in North Carolina from receiving any state funding for family planning or teen pregnancy prevention initiatives.

This decision is fueled by politics and misconceptions of what services Planned Parenthood provides. It was also made by people who have access to health care.

Planned Parenthood receives state funding to provide preventive health care services like life-saving cancer screening, annual exams and affordable contraception at nine health centers across North Carolina. Every dollar spent on preventive health care saves the state almost $4.

Planned Parenthood is a safety-net provider for women and families in North Carolina. More than 25,000 women and men from across our state turn to Planned Parenthood every year for vital medical and educational services. Over 70 percent of the women and men Planned Parenthood serves lack the health insurance to pay for their care, and they rely on these health centers to provide affordable, high quality, compassionate health care.

Isn't it funny how those who have access to health care are voting to limit health care to those who do not?

Maureen Wertheim,

Morrisville