Help women in South Carolina
Currently the South Carolina Department of Health and
Environmental Control (S.C. DHEC) provides services to any woman of childbearing age regardless of religion, race, color,
national origin, creed, handicap, sex, number of pregnancies, national status, age or contraceptive preference. However, an appointment for a pap smear cannot
be made if you have had a surgery preventing you from getting pregnant (tubal).
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental
Control (S.C. DHEC) is discriminating against women for their contraceptive preference and age. The public health care needs of
women are being ignored and this is a growing concern. According to the U.S.
Patient Bill of Rights, all patients have the right to considerate and
respectful care. A low-income woman with a tubal ligation should have the same
right to a pap smear as a low-income woman without a tubal ligation. Low-income
women not of childbearing age should have the right to a pap smear as well. With
the growing numbers of women contracting the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV),
cancer, HIV/AIDS and other Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI’s) we should be
focusing on providing better public health care for low-income individuals.
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