Thread by @EngagingVoices

We oppose #HB525:

ID is a vast and rural state and access to health care can be hard to reach. NPO's like Planned Parenthood provide vital services that anyone can access. These services are often the only reliable & trusted source of preventative health care in rural ID #idleg

PP provides services for over 9,000 patients annually, many of whom have low incomes, & would otherwise not have access to crucial services such as birth control, life save cancer screening, wellness exams, & more. #HB525 would ultimately cut off access to preventative HC #idleg

Health Care clinics are often the locations where a survivor of sexual assault or domestic violence feels safe and comfortable enough to disclose their circumstances.
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For example, the Idaho Coalition partners w/PP on direct services through legal grants by connecting survivors with vital services. By removing crucial funding from PP, a reliable and trusted health care provider would no longer be an option for many throughout the state. #idleg

Though there are exceptions listed in #HB525 for victims of rape or incest, the legislation further requires that the courts have to determine rape or incest has occurred OR that the victim has filed a report with law enforcement.
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This simply does not take into account the lived experiences of victims of sexual assault, how difficult it can be for victims of IPV to identify that they have been raped, and fails to take into account that many victims simply want peace & freedom from violence...
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without fear of reprisal and unintended consequences.

Victims of sexual assault are dealing w/trauma the likes of which we won't understand unless we have experienced it ourselves. To add on bureaucratic and arduous steps such as reporting to police...
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...going to court to get proof, forces the victim to continue to revist the incident, and doesn't take into account the 6 in 10 people who do not report their rape, but who still need access to related responsive health and reproductive care, including abortion.
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It is flabbergasting that anyone in this room would judge or question a person for choosing to recover and health in the way that is best for her/them, and it is only for her/them to choose. To deny her that right is cruel.
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We implore you to consider what the root causes of these attacks to defund health care clinics might be, and to question whether this is something that falls in line with Idaho's values of freedom, independence, and individual choice.
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We believe this bill will make it harder for Idahoans to live independent and thriving lives in the way that they see fit for themselves.
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