As a Lancaster City woman on election day, I encourage voters to support Democrat Mike Sturla, State House Representative for

the 96th district and incumbent President Barack Obama. It is a scary time for women in this country when I listen to candidates making statements such as Indiana Republican Senate candidate Richard Mourdock, Rape is something God intended or Missouri Republican Senate candidate Todd Akin, Womens bodies have ways of preventing pregnancy in cases of legitimate rape. Pennsylvania is no exception for the need to support intelligent, enlightened legislators who have proven records on womens issues. In 2012, all seven of the Republican legislators who serve Lancaster County, Creighton, Aument, Boyd, Bear, Hickernell, Denlinger, and Cutler sponsored House Bill 1077 The Womens Right to Know Act, the mandatory ultrasound requirement imposed 24 hours prior to a woman obtaining an abortion. Women choose to have an abortion for many reasons including cases where the pregnancy is planned but dangerous to their health or there is a fatal, fetal anomaly. It is cruel and inhumane to pressure women who are already devastated about losing their pregnancy to view images of their fetus. Representative Sturla along with the Pennsylvania Medical Society were some of the lone voices in our county opposing this demeaning legislation against women. Regardless of ones stance on abortion, the goal should be to reduce unintended pregnancy and subsequently, the abortion rate. With health care costs increasing, a good cost effective analysis on how best to decrease the abortion rate is needed. The costs of implementing HB 1077 are numerous: cost of ultrasound services, physicians hours, Department of Health services to implement the bill, loss of the private decision making relationship between physician and patient, and financial and emotional cost to women making a decision about abortion. Does this expensive mandate even decrease the abortion rate as the HB 1077s sponsors intend? Studies show that abortion restrictive policies do not change a womans mind, but delay the procedure, increasing both the cost and risk. What policies do lower the nations abortion rate? The primary way to reduce the numbers of abortions is to decrease the most probable cause, unintended pregnancy. More cost effective ways than mandatory ultrasound include consistent use of effective contraception by all sexually active men and women who do not desire pregnancy; access to family planning counseling and contraceptive services, and comprehensive sex education to empower people to make responsible decisions. This is the enlightened, cost effective public policy that Mike Sturla and President Obama support. Women, please vote on November 6.

Amanda Fowler