South San Francisco, CA June 15, 2022 Press Release
Supervisors Dave Pine and Warren Slocum Champion Financial Investments, Protections and Outreach Supporting Women’s Access to Reproductive Care
Redwood City — Today, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors approved the Women’s Reproductive Freedom and Healthcare Privacy Action Plan to provide financial support for Planned Parenthood Mar Monte to deliver increased abortion care; create a buffer zone ordinance for the unincorporated areas of the county; develop an advocacy agenda; establish the Reproductive Rights and Healthcare Privacy Subcommittee to include Supervisors Pine and Slocum; and launch an information campaign to let patients know that San Mateo County Health continues to offer reproductive services.
The Action Plan was developed in conjunction with Planned Parenthood Mar Monte (PPMM), which serves residents of Northern California including San Mateo County. PPMM has three clinics in San Mateo County that provide comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care, gender-affirming care, behavioral health, and family medicine services. Together, these clinics serve about 13,000 San Mateo County residents a year.
“With the likely reversal of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court looming, San Mateo County and California as a whole must prepare for the inevitable increase of women seeking care here that will be unavailable to them elsewhere in the nation,” said Supervisor Dave Pine.
According to a report released in October 2021 by the Guttmacher Institute, if Roe v. Wade is overturned or gutted, 26 states are certain or likely to ban abortion. The actions by those states would increase the number of out-of-state patients seeking abortion care in California from 46,000 to 1.4 million-an increase of nearly 3,000 percent. Between July of 2021 and May of 2022, PPMM provided abortion care to 87 patients from out-of-state. Those services were provided to 5 patients at the PPMM clinics in San Mateo County.
“We are at a precipice and the time for action is now. These financial investments to Planned Parenthood Monte Mar will allow for more women to make decisions about their bodies, particularly those living in states set to ban abortion. What we have done today is monumental in this effort,” said Supervisor Warren Slocum.
The financial investment includes $1,000,000 allocated in two tranches including $549,312 to support the purchase of technology and equipment by PPMM to allow for increased patient capacity at its clinics. The second tranche of funding, up to $450,688, would be held in reserve for use as needs emerge.
To provide additional access to services, a draft buffer zone ordinance for unincorporated San Mateo County clinics that protects patients and employees from harassment, intimidation, and obstruction when accessing a PPMM clinic while also balancing First Amendment rights will be brought to the Board of Supervisors at the June 28, 2022 meeting.
In addition, a women’s reproductive freedom and healthcare privacy advocacy agenda will be developed in coordination with the Commission on the Status of Women, County Attorney’s Office, County staff and the Board subcommittee to develop a proposed advocacy agenda for consideration at the August 2, 2022 Board meeting.
Lastly, the County will lead an information campaign to let patients know that San Mateo County Health continues to offer reproductive services.
Why is the County using OUR tax money to fund out of state abortions – that is NOT why we pay our taxes. Monies collected from our residents must go to help our residents in need, there is so much need here.
Let the non-profits fill in what is needed with PP.
Stop taxing us and giving our money away.
I believe that it is SO hypocritical of these same liberal democratic public servants of OURS want to take guns off the streets when you have abortion-mills like Planned Parenthood killing babies every 89 SECONDS! “Reproductive Rights” is a term to disguise what truly happens with OUR TAX DOLLARS…..abortions. PP’s numbers are skewed on purpose in their Annual Reports. MOST of the funding they get from private and political sources ARE in fact used for abortions, not “healthcare”. THE BABY DOES NOT HAVE A “CHOICE”. THE BABY HAS ITS OWN BODY. THE BABY SHOULD NOT BE AN “INCONVENIENCE” FOR SOME IRRESPONBILE “LADY” WHO COULDN’T CONTROL HERSELF; BABIES SHOULD NOT BE DESTROYED BECAUSE OF RAPE EITHER. He/She has NO fault in this unfortunate situation and violence only incites more violence. These women need support and assistance in these awful situations and there ARE plenty of good charities out there willing to help. When are we going to learn that most violent societal problems comes from the LACK of DISRESPECT for humans in their most Vulnerable state??