LETTER: Keep Planned Parenthood

To the editor:

I have been a resident of Palmer, Alaska, for the better part of the past 20 years. I grew up living off Fishhook road, hiking the Butte on summer weekends, and wrangling fish out of the Little Su. The Mat-Su Valley has been the place that I call home for most of my life, and I’m worried about its future.

I grew up with limited access to healthcare benefits and I have lived most of my life without insurance. However, I have always had a few places where my health needs were addressed, often at little to no cost to myself. One of these places is Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood is one of the few healthcare options that Alaskans have that is high-quality and affordable, even without insurance.

Currently, extremists in D.C. are threatening Alaskans, like you and me, in efforts to harm medicaid benefits and defund Planned Parenthood. This would take away vital healthcare access from me, and many of my fellow Alaskans. Planned Parenthood has been there for me when no one else has, and I urge my fellow Alaskans to take action and use our voice to save our access to affordable healthcare.

The political voice of Alaskan’s is at one of the highest point it has ever been. Our senator, Lisa Murkowski, has one of the deciding votes in the senate to determine if this extreme, harsh bill will pass, denying tens of thousands of Alaskans access to affordable healthcare. When other representatives haven’t been there for Alaskans, Senator Murkowski has been by our side, stating that she won’t stand for a bill that does this much harm. We need to make sure that Senator Murkowski continues to speak with our voice and we need her to know that her decision to vote against this bill is supported and that it’s what’s right for Alaska. The Mat-su Valley is my home, and it’s terrifying to think it could also be a place without access to healthcare.

— Edward Tubbs

Palmer