As hundreds of cyclists poured through the Summit City, there was hope that the event would not only bring some exercise and entertainment to the participants but hopefully a changed view of the community in general.INDIANAPOLIS – INDIANAPOLIS — A bill approved by the legislature that would eliminate funds for Planned Parenthood in Indiana would affect services provided by the group’s clinics and programs.
In northeast Indiana, Planned Parenthood served more than 5,300 patients last year – and performed zero abortions.
Betty Cockrum, Planned Parenthood of Indiana president and CEO, said the services those patients received – tests to detect and prevent cervical and breast cancer as well as sexually transmitted disease screenings – would be jeopardized if House Bill 1210 is signed into law by Gov. Mitch Daniels.
Planned Parenthood has clinics in Elkhart and Fort Wayne, both of which see patients from surrounding counties as well.
Neither provides abortion services. Most years, those clinics combined provide more than 4,000 pap smears for area women – of which about one in 10 are severely abnormal, according to the organization.
A more urban area such as Fort Wayne may be able to provide low-cost alternatives to those screenings, Cockrum said, but some women may forgo them altogether.
The majority of the patients served at the Fort Wayne and Elkhart clinics are women, and the majority are in poverty, according to the organization.
Those arguments were not enough to sway lawmakers such as Rep. Rebecca Kubacki, R-Syracuse. Kubacki said Hoosiers should work on building strong families who will support unintended pregnancies.
The bill’s co-author, Rep. P. Eric Turner, R-Cicero, agreed.
“Because of your positive vote today, babies will be born that would have otherwise been aborted,” Turner said.
