STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3155

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 85

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 85 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION AFFIRMING THE STATE OF HAWAII'S SUPPORT OF PLANNED PARENTHOOD, RECOGNIZING ITS VITAL ROLE IN PROVIDING HEALTH CARE, AND DENOUNCING VIOLENCE TOWARDS ABORTION PROVIDERS AND THEIR PATIENTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to affirm the State's support for Planned Parenthood, recognizing its vital role in providing health care, and denouncing violence toward abortion providers and their patients.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii; Hawai‘i State Democratic Women's Caucus; Hawaii Youth Services Network; Hawaii Nurses Association, OPEIU Local 50; Hawaii Association of Professional Nurses; YWCA Oahu; American Association of University Women of Hawaii; Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women; and seventy-three individuals.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawaii Catholic Conference, PEACE Hawai‘i, Hawaii Family Forum, and twenty-two individuals.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from one individual.

     Your Committee finds that Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands, an affiliate of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (Planned Parenthood), is a non‑profit organization providing medical care and education for women, men, and families throughout diverse communities.  Planned Parenthood offers cancer screenings, pregnancy testing and counseling, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, comprehensive sexual health education, preventive health care services, birth control for men and women, emergency contraception, and abortion services, as well as resources on a variety of issues that impact children, families, and young adults, including sexual health education resources.

     Your Committee further finds that Planned Parenthood has been under attack in recent months due to a series of manipulated and misleading videos released by an anti-abortion health organization, the Center for Medical Progress, that supposedly depicts Planned Parenthood illegally trying to sell fetal body parts.  However, no investigations have any evidence of such acts.  In fact, in January 2016, after an investigation into Planned Parenthood's alleged sale of fetal tissue, a Texas grand jury indicted Planned Parenthood's accusers, two activists from the Center for Medical Progress.  According to Planned Parenthood, officials in eleven states have cleared Planned Parenthood of wrongdoings, and officials in another eight states declined to even investigate the accusations made by the Center for Medical Progress.  Your Committee recognizes the positive contributions of Planned Parenthood to the health and well-being of numerous Hawaii residents and urges the State to reaffirm its support for the continued provision of crucial health care services.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 85 and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Judiciary and Labor.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health,

________________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair