Contact: Carol Everett, Founder and CEO, The Heidi Group, 512-255-2088

ROUND ROCK, Texas, Feb. 29, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- The 82nd Legislature protected the health of Texas women by eliminating funding of the Women's Health Program by abortion providers. Under the new law, 2,500 medical professionals providing comprehensive and primary care along with Family Planning, located strategically around the state, will offer balanced medical care with a medical home for indigent women.

Carol Everett, former abortion provider and now pro-life advocate for women stated "Texas women deserve the highest standard of health care -- not an abortion provider dispensing birth control anticipating an added financial benefit when the woman returns for a full-fee abortion - when the birth control fails. Now women can have their blood pressure checked and treated; diabetes diagnosed and treated as well as have a trusted medical home because of this new law. Texans are elevating the standard of health care for our poor women."

Less than 100 Planned Parenthood providers concentrated in centers of population will be eliminated from the program because they do not provide comprehensive and primary care but a limited range of family planning services by a mid-level provider such as a nurse practitioner or a physician's assistant. Planned Parenthood offers only manual breast examinations with no mammogram machines in their facilities.

If Planned Parenthood cares for women and their health, why are they fighting the elevation of health care services for underprivileged women? The answer: Planned Parenthood is losing a minimum of $17 million a year in funding!

Governor Rick Perry and Health and Human Services (HHSC) Commissioner Tom Suehs have followed the direction of the Texas Legislature by excluding abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood from the Medicaid Women's Health Program (WHP). The law passed during the Special Session (Senate Bill 7) prohibits HHSC (administrator of the Medicaid Program) from contracting with providers that "perform or promote elective abortions or affiliate with entities that perform or promote elective abortions." Now the Obama administration - not the Texas Legislature or the Governor - will be to blame for killing the Women's Health Program if the Obama Administration does not renew the program simply because Planned Parenthood is excluded. As a private citizen, I urge you to call, email or write your Legislator and Governor Rick Perry to thank them for protecting the health of the poor women of Texas.