Letter to the Editor: Comstock Puts Women's Health at Risk

I would like to thank the Great Falls Citizens Association for sponsoring a very informative evening at the Grange this past week. We heard from Supervisor John Foust, state Sen. Barbara Favola and state Del. Barbara Comstock, and they provided a lot of information about the recent legislative session and how it affects us.

In her presentation, Comstock spoke at length about the initiative to provide information to women about breast density and its impact on cancer risk. Comstock is justly proud of this legislation, which serves a definite need. However, I have to ask, where are women to receive that information? Comstock has also been in the forefront of legislation to defund Planned Parenthood and close down clinics providing health care services to women. If all avenues for receiving basic health care and cancer screenings are cut off from women, then legislating the dispersal of health information is useless.

The GFCA was very specific in its intent to have a non-partisan discussion of legislation. This situation presents a classic example of the impact that partisan politics can have. Planned Parenthood and women’s health clinics are being singled out because of the abortion issue. As Favola pointed out, no other free-standing medical/surgical facilities are subjected to the same degree of regulation. As a result of the partisan politics practiced by Comstock, women’s health is put at risk. All the medical literature in the world will not help women if there is no provider to pass it on.

So please, Del. Comstock, if you want to help women, then really help them.

Dale Whitesell, McLean