Answers to Planned Parenthood Advocates Mar Monte Municipal Questionaire 2002 

Party: Green

Candidate for: Santa Cruz City Council

Name of Campaign Committee: Thomas Leavitt for City Council

Address: P.O. Box 7095, Santa Cruz, CA 95061-7095

Email: thomas@thomasleavitt.org

Web site: http://www.thomasleavitt.org/cc/

Phone: 408-591-3342

Fax: 815-371-2804 (efax)

Contact: Thomas Leavitt

Candidate Signature: Thomas Van Ness Leavitt

Date: 9/30/2002

Right To Choose:

Planned Parenthood believes that women have the right to obtain a medically safe, legal abortion under the standards set forth by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Roe v. Wade decision. Do you support or oppose this position? Support (emphatically so, in fact, this right should not be dependent on the whim of the Supreme Court)

Planned Parenthood:

Each year, Planned Parenthood health centers provide services and counseling to more than 600,000 Californians. Through important state funded programs such as Family PACT, Expanded Access to Primary Care and the Breast Cancer Early Detection Program, Planned Parenthood provides services to low-income clients, including contraceptive services, prenatal care, cancer screening, and the testing and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases. These funds do not pay for abortions. Nevertheless, some people want to stop Planned Parenthood from providing valuable health care services through state-funded programs because we use our own privately raised funds and Medi-Cal funds to provide abortion services, and privately raised funds to advocate for changes in abortion laws. Do you support or oppose continued public funding for Planned Parenthood? Support

Partnership for Community Health:

Each year Planned Parenthood provides more than ? medical visits for low income clients in ? County, at clinics in ? and ?. Planned Parenthood's affordable health services include family planning and reproductive health care for men and women, annual exams, prenatal care, pediatric care, teen services, and primary health care for clients of all ages. In addition, Planned Parenthood educators reach approximately ? local residents annually with emphasis on school-based programs to reduce teen pregnancy and help teens make responsibile choices. Many programs rely on participation of local public agencies in thr form of grants or cooperative programming. Do you support or oppose local government partnerships with Planned Parenthood? Support

Stop Clinic Violence:

In recent years, a campaign of violence, intimidation, and harassment has been waged against reproductive health providers, patients, and their families. Planned Parenthood believes that state and local governments should take an aggressive role in enacting and/or enforcing laws to deter these illegal acts, and in prosecuting the perpetrators of such acts. Do you support or oppose the enactment and enforcement of laws that help prevent violence, intimidation, and harassment directed at reproductive health providers, their patients, and their families? Support

Access to Reproductive Health Care:

In some communities, opponents of abortion have attempted to stop the provision of reproductive health care services by challenging the zoning and licensing of existing and proposed clinic sites. Planned Parenthood believes that clinics that meet reasonable standards establishied for like businesses should be allowed to operate in our local communities. Would you support or oppose the zoning and licensing of clinics that provide abortion services in local communities if the clinics meet state and local regulations for like businesses? Support

Comprehensive Sex Education:

Despite the fact that 84% of Americans support comprehensive, age-appropriate, medically accurate sex education, efforts are made by some members of the state legislature to allocate millions of dollars for abstinence-only sex eeucation, that excludes any mention of contraception, family planning or disease prevention. Do you support or oppose the teaching of age-appropriate, medically accurate sex education, including information about both abstinence and contraception in public schools? Support

Hospital Mergers:

AS community hospitals merge with religiously affiliated hospitals, many women are faced with reduced access to reproductive health care services. Do you support or oppose requiring health facilities that accept state funds to provide, or refer for, full-scope health care services? Support

Emergency Contraception:

Emergency contraception is a high dose combination of oral contraceptives that, if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, can safely prevent a pregnancy from occurring. All California women, including victims of rape being treated at hospital emergency rooms, should have emergency contraception available to them. Do you support or oppose efforts to expand access to emergency contraception? Support

Right To Choose/Fight Bans On Abortion:

Anti-choice organizations have tried to eerode the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision that ensures a woman's constitutionally protected right to choose by trying to ban specific abortion procedures. One such attempt was the campaign on the so-called "partial birth" abortion procedure. Do you support or oppose a woman's right to choose the abortion method most likely to preserve her health, in consultation with her physician, and free from government interference? Support

Confidential Health Services:

Planned Parenthood believes that minors, as well as adults, should have confidential access to reproductive health services, including family planning, disease prevention, and abortion. Would you support minors' access to confidential health services by voting against government-mandated parental involvement in a minor's reproductive health care or oppose minors' access to confidential health services? Support