I am writing to commend U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, for her principled stand last Thursday against repealing the Title X order. She and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine deserve congratulation for standing against all other GOP senators who voted for their own political interests and against low-income women and their families. Those two ‘no’ votes made a tie, which was “Penced,” and so the repeal passed by one vote.
Thankfully, Alaska is not likely (at present) to prevent the life-saving health services of Planned Parenthood to women across Alaska’s 663-plus million square miles. But this is not the case for low-income women in heavily gerrymandered, deep-red states like Texas. Those states will move to deny all access to health care screening, treatment and family planning from what is often their only health care provider, Planned Parenthood. The repeal is bad public policy — not only harmful but cruel.
U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa was the only GOP senator to speak to the issue, not in debate but after the vote. She said that “this rule attempted to empower federal bureaucrats in Washington and silence our states.” It was not about silencing states but preserving access to health care and family planning for low-income women who have no other option.
The senior senator from Alaska said that this vote is “going to further limit access to care for women,” so she voted no. Her vision, like that of Sen. Collins, is clear: it sees the dangerous wrong this vote does to low-income women and their families. Saying ‘no’ to the entire rest of their party in these highly politicized times is an accomplishment, a principled achievement deserving of congratulation. And sincere thanks.
• Art Petersen is retired from the University of Alaska Southeast and lives in Juneau.