THE SENATE

S.R. NO.

56

TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2016

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

AFFIRMING THE STATE OF HAWAII'S SUPPORT OF PLANNED PARENTHOOD, RECOGNIZING ITS VITAL ROLE IN PROVIDING HEALTH CARE, AND DENOUNCING VIOLENCE TOWARDS ABORTION PROVIDERS AND THEIR PAtieNTS.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to medical care; and

 

     WHEREAS, Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands, an affiliate of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (Planned Parenthood), is a non-profit organization providing medical care and education for women, men, and families throughout the diverse communities of Hawaii; and

 

     WHEREAS, Planned Parenthood offers cancer screenings, pregnancy testing and counseling, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, comprehensive sexual health education, preventive health care services, birth control for men and women, emergency contraception, and abortion services; and

 

     WHEREAS, Planned Parenthood also offers guidance and counseling on relationships, consent, body image, and other general health issues; and

 

     WHEREAS, Planned Parenthood provides resources on a variety of issues that impact children, families, and young adults, including sexual health education resources; and

 

     WHEREAS, Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands provides more than ten thousand services to Hawaii residents each year, including teenagers and individuals with limited income or in personal crisis; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 2016, Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands celebrates its fiftieth year of providing high-quality, affordable health care in Hawaii; and

 

     WHEREAS, Planned Parenthood has been under attack in recent months due to a series of manipulated and misleading videos released by an anti-reproductive health organization; and

 

     WHEREAS, Planned Parenthood has been subjected to numerous politically motivated and misguided investigations that have failed to reveal any wrongdoing by Planned Parenthood; and

 

     WHEREAS, these attacks have led to extreme and demonizing rhetoric and a hostile climate that leads to violence, threats, and harassment of health care providers and patients; and

 

     WHEREAS, since 1977 nearly seven thousand violent acts against abortion providers have been reported, including bombings, arsons, death threats, kidnappings, and assaults, and more than one hundred ninety thousand acts of disruption against abortion providers have been performed, including bomb threats and harassing calls; and

 

     WHEREAS, since 1993, there have been eleven murders of individuals associated with abortion care, most recently on November 27, 2015, when a gunman attacked a Planned Parenthood health center in Colorado Springs, Colorado in which three people were killed and nine people were injured; and

 

     WHEREAS, Planned Parenthood is a trusted health care provider for one in five women in the United States and provides crucial health care services to people across the country and in Hawaii; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2016, that the Legislature expresses its gratitude to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands for providing health care to millions of people annually, including teenagers, persons with limited income, and other vulnerable populations; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature affirms that all persons have the right to access reproductive health care services without fear of violence, intimidation, or harassment; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature reaffirms its support for Planned Parenthood health centers and staff in carrying out their mission to safeguard and provide access to a fundamental human right; and  

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Director of Health, and the Mayors of the counties of Hawaii, Maui, Kauai, and the City and County of Honolulu.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

Planned Parenthood