Sean Patrick Maloney: “in my State alone over 300,000 women and teens rely on Title X for their only reproductive health care. Studies show…”

“in my State alone over 300,000 women and teens rely on Title X for their only reproductive health care. Studies show that 80 percent of teens who currently seek family planning advice at clinics would stop going if they had to tell their parents. The Istook language will cause many teens to delay or, even worse, avoid seeking essential health care services, placing their health at risk. How can we claim to be protecting the health of our young women if we pass legislation that damages their health by restricting access to the care they need? I agree that ideally teens should be encouraged to talk to their parents about their health care decisions, but we do not live in an ideal world, and millions of teens do not live in ideal families. The Greenwood-Castle substitute is the correct approach. It provides teens with the message that abstinence is the only way to avoid pregnancy, STDs and HIV infection without restricting their access to needed health care.”