May 4, 2017 2 min read

The scary truth is that women’s health rights are under attack by Republican majorities in Washington, D.C., and Harrisburg whose members repeatedly evince scant knowledge of the issue.

Last month, I, alongside other female constituents, including two ob-gyn specialists, met with state Sen. Guy Reschenthaler to discuss his support of Senate Bill 3, a bill that would outlaw abortions after 20 weeks.

We discussed the possible complications of late-stage pregnancy and related a deeply painful experience of a necessary late-term abortion one of us endured. I was pleased by the senator’s apparent desire to listen, and he accepted several letters written by women opposed to medically unsound restrictions on women’s health care. However, I knew something was amiss when he admitted that he had never read the bill.

My suspicions were confirmed by Reschenthaler’s recent co-sponsorship of Senate Bill 300, a measure that seeks to defund Planned Parenthood. Despite the scientific information we offered and personal experiences we relayed, the senator appears to have disregarded it in full.

While I left our meeting feeling assured that Reschenthaler could prove to be that rare Republican who values science and knowledge, I now realize he simply feigned concern while paying lip service to our group.

The citizens of the 37th Senatorial District deserve better than a patronizing junior senator keen to make his mark as the Senate Republicans’ wingman and chief fundraiser. What we need is an independent thinker mindful of the fact that he works for his constituents.

Meredith Driscoll

Mt. Lebanon