Following recent announcements that Planned Parenthood is planning a return to the county, Lancaster County Commissioner Joshua Parsons released a statement registering his opposition.
Parson’s “Statement on Planned Parenthood seeking a ‘transfer agreement’ with a Lancaster County Hospital,” was released via social media on Sept. 8.
“The vast majority of the citizens of Lancaster County, myself included, are opposed to Planned Parenthood’s stated mission to bring abortion on demand to Lancaster County,” the statement reads.
Parsons said that cooperating with the abortion-provider amounts to a violation of the oath that physicians “do no harm.” He anticipates any hospital’s cooperation with Planned Parenthood will result in many organizations, and Lancaster County government, reevaluating relationships with that hospital.
According to their annual report, Planned Parenthood provided over 300,000 abortions during the 2019-20 fiscal year.
The Pa. Dept. of Health requires the abortion-provider to attain a “transfer agreement” for emergency treatment with a local hospital. Previous attempts by Planned Parenthood to provide abortions in the county were denied, in part because a “transfer agreement” could not be reached.
Commissioner Ray D’Agostino told The Lancaster Patriot that he agrees with the sentiment of Parsons’ statement. “The majority of people in Lancaster County will not stand for this,” said D’Agostino. He called Planned Parenthood’s plan “utterly reprehensible” and said he would speak out against it.
Parsons’ full statement is included below.
Statement on Planned Parenthood seeking a “transfer agreement” with a Lancaster County Hospital.
As the founders of our nation clearly articulated in the Declaration of Independence, all people have certain unalienable rights, which come from God, and these include “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Governments are created to protect these rights.
The first of these is life.
The vast majority of the citizens of Lancaster County, myself included, are opposed to Planned Parenthood’s stated mission to bring abortion on demand to Lancaster County. Any hospital cooperating with them in this mission would be not only acting against the wishes of this majority of citizens, but also acting in opposition to the fundamentals of the hippocratic oath – do no harm.
I would anticipate any hospital doing so will see many people and organizations, including Lancaster County government, reevaluate relationships they have with such an organization.
Joshua G. Parsons
County Commissioner
Chris Hume joined The Lancaster Patriot in early 2022. He is responsible for managing customer service, sales, and content across all The Lancaster Patriot’s print and digital channels. Prior to The Lancaster Patriot, Chris worked in restaurant management, and before that he served in the U.S. Air Force. He holds an M.B.A from Wesley College, an M.A. in literature from Clarks Summit University, and a B.A. in history from Ashford University.
