Frank Leak: Unneeded Planned Parenthood

Regarding the Sept. 16 column “More GOP attacks on women’s health” by Catherine Rampell: She indicated that if two Planned Parenthood clinics in Louisiana were defunded and forced to shut down, 5,200 low-income women would lose access to reproductive health services.

During my 30 years as a rural North Carolina family physician, we handled the reproductive health needs of low-income women very well through our offices and in the efficient state public health clinics in every county.

We, the private physicians, the well-trained public health nurses and mid-level providers did an excellent job. So low-income women had an efficient reproductive health provider system in North Carolina before Planned Parenthood existed, and my brief research confirmed this is true for Louisiana.

It is clear the writer is among those who want to exploit a nonexistent gender gap for political gain.

I applaud Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal for his courageous effort to eliminate these groups whether they specifically provide abortions and sell fetal parts or not. The 5,200 low-income women will easily find their access through the Louisiana Public Health Department, volunteer physicians and mid-level providers.

This story was originally published September 25, 2015 at 4:31 PM with the headline "Frank Leak: Unneeded Planned Parenthood."