Mussman Fights to Provide All Women with Access to Health Care Services; Calls on Governor to Stand Up to Trump

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Continuing her fight to provide all women with access to basic healthcare services, state Rep. Michelle Mussman, D-Schaumburg, is opposing President Trump’s proposed cuts to organizations that provide women with access to contraception, STD testing, breast cancer screenings and women’s health exams.

“For far too long, the health and well-being of women across the nation have been in the hands of men, and the president’s attempts to cut federal funding to organizations that provide women with basic, sometimes life-saving services is unacceptable,” said Mussman. “Every single woman has the right to healthcare services, regardless of her income level, where she is from, her race or any other factor, and these cuts will put the lives of women across our state in jeopardy.”

Mussman is the primary House sponsor of House Resolution 1126, which urges the Trump Administration to keep original Title X guidelines in place so that millions of individuals can continue to receive basic health care services. Trump recently issued a proposal that would cut all Title X funding to any clinic or organization that assists women who need to get an abortion, including referrals. His cuts were made even though Title X funding is already prohibited from being used for abortion services; instead, it is used to provide women with access to contraception, women’s health exams, STD testing, breast cancer screenings and other essential health care services. Mussman strongly opposes the administration’s continuous attempts to block women from making their own decisions about their personal health care.

Continuing her advocacy to ensure all women have control over their own bodies, Mussman is sponsoring the resolution so that the thousands of women in Illinois who rely on Title X funding can continue to receive the assistance that they need to stay in good health and avoid unplanned pregnancies. She knows that, by cutting these funds to organizations such as Planned Parenthood and local clinics, women from disadvantaged backgrounds, such as low-income or rural communities that already lack access to health care services, will be unable to receive any reproductive healthcare services. To protect Illinois women from these cuts, Mussman is calling on Gov. Rauner to stand up to Trump and urge him to maintain the original Title X guidelines.

“Every single person has the right to go to the doctor when needed, and the cuts that Trump and his Republican allies have made to a program that has been funded by Republicans and Democrats since 1970 will only increase teen and unplanned pregnancy rates and put the lives of women with breast cancer in danger,” said Mussman. “Women across the state need these services, and Governor Rauner has the responsibility to urge his party leader to stop playing politics with the lives of women across the nation. If the governor is as serious as he claims to be about supporting a woman’s right to choose, then he will publically call on Trump to restore the original guidelines to Title X so that Illinois women can continue to receive the care that they need and deserve.”