ICYMI: Rep. Ami Bera Denounces Republican Attacks on Planned Parenthood

Washington, D.C. — Today, Representative Ami Bera, M.D. (CA-06) joined fellow members of the Democratic Doctors Caucus and Planned Parenthood Federation of America President and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson to sound the alarm about Republican cuts to Medicaid and their devastating impact on access to affordable, high-quality care provided by Planned Parenthood health centers across the country.

Since President Trump’s “Big, Ugly Bill” was signed into law, its provision blocking Medicaid patients from receiving care at Planned Parenthood has been temporarily halted by the courts. If reinstated, the provision could force up to 200 health centers to close, putting the health care of 1.1 million Medicaid patients at risk.

“What Planned Parenthood does is so much more than just reproductive health care. They're a leader there in reproductive health care. But in many communities across this country, they're the sole provider of primary care services to women and men,” said Representative Bera.

For many individuals in rural and underserved areas, Planned Parenthood centers are often the only accessible source of care for people in rural and underserved areas for critical primary and preventive care services, such as cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment, chronic disease management, and general wellness visits.

“And what Donald Trump's bill — the big, ugly bill that House Republicans passed — does is it takes away that primary service, those community health center services, from so many Americans, particularly Americans in rural America,” Bera added.

You can read Representative Bera’s full remarks below: 

Hi, I'm Congressman Ami Bera from California's 6th Congressional District, Sacramento County. And I am so proud to stand here with the Democratic doctors behind me, as well as with the CEO of Planned Parenthood. Cause we're going to fight. We're going to fight every day. And don't mess with Planned Parenthood — that's why I got my boxing glove on here.

Because what Planned Parenthood does is so much more than just reproductive health care. They're a leader there in reproductive health care. But in many communities across this country, they're the sole provider of primary care services to women and men. And what Donald Trump's bill — the big, ugly bill that House Republicans passes does is it takes away that primary service, those community health center services, from so many Americans, particularly Americans in rural America.

And again, in many of these communities, Planned Parenthood is the sole provider — not just of reproductive health care services, but primary care services, diabetes, breast cancer screening, and so much more. So we're here as Democratic doctors to stand with Planned Parenthood. We're going to fight back and we're going to make sure we hold Republicans accountable. And they are specifically targeting those services that Planned Parenthood offers that are so vital to so many Americans — women and men across this country.