Davis on Planned Parenthood; water woes; Medicaid cuts

Davis on Planned Parenthood

We need more healthcare providers in most areas of the state serving all the medical needs of Texans.

This includes critical prevention like breast and cervical cancer screenings.

By cutting funding for Planned Parenthood for the state Breast & Cervical Cancer Services (BCCS) program, Texas has willfully created yet another hole in the healthcare safety net.

This crisis facing Texas women is not just about the women who relied on these programs, it’s the combined effect of numerous bad policies that have worked together to systematically deny access to medical care to Texas women.

— William Oglesby, Arlington

Wendy Davis quoted state estimates Sunday that an additional 23,760 babies would be born under Medicaid in 2014-15 with a projected cost of $136 million because of “barriers to reproductive healthcare” — i.e., defunding Planned Parenthood. (“Texas women have been hurt by cuts to Planned Parenthood”)

So is the bottom line that children will “cost” the taxpayer?

Well, the taxpayer is already paying tax dollars to the tune of millions of dollars yearly to Planned Parenthood. If Planned Parenthood is so concerned about reproductive healthcare, why don’t they stay out of the business of abortion?

Abortion is not healthcare.

— Kathy Marshall, Bedford

To Wendy Davis: You don’t have to execute unborn babies to provide women’s healthcare, just to harvest and sell their bits and pieces.

And if you think Planned Parenthood’s income from abortions is only 3 percent, I’ll sell you a bridge … any bridge.

— Joseph Ansley, Fort Worth

Water woes

As a citizen and taxpayer, I would ask Weatherford College why there is a need to water the baseball field at high noon several days in a row.

Do you not know water is running off in the streets from overwatering, and the evaporation rate at 100 degrees is at least 50 percent?

I’m appalled that anyone in the maintenance department at the college is oblivious to this common knowledge. It’s wasteful and represents very poor judgment of property management and water conservation.

I’m taxed substantially in the county and would appreciate a little more fiduciary responsibility managing watering issues.

Please address this lack of common knowledge and water like every city or county advises residents: after 10 p.m. and not after 6 a.m.

— Bobby Whitehead, Hudson Oaks

Medicaid cuts

I was appalled that Texas cut Medicaid benefits $350 million when we have $18 billion unspent.

I do not understand.

Most legislators claim to be Christian. All I hear from them is a lot of screaming about abortion. (And I am against abortion on demand.)

There is much more to pro-life than being anti-abortion.

What happened to their concern with: “What you do to the least of others you do unto me”?

We were thinking of bringing my wife’s aunt to Texas when she became too old to care for herself. Thank God she did not want to come, so we did not bring her.

My wife’s aunt lived in a state with strong Medicaid and we obtained excellent care.

I do not know how we could have cared for her if she had agreed to come to Texas.

— James V. Hickey, Springtown

This story was originally published August 27, 2015 at 5:33 PM with the headline "Davis on Planned Parenthood; water woes; Medicaid cuts."