Letters: SC cervical cancer law will save lives

Gov. Nikki Haley quietly signed the Cervical Cancer Prevention Act into law this spring after it was stalled in the Legislature for close to a decade. This is a major victory for all South Carolinians that Planned Parenthood South Atlantic applauds.

Working tirelessly with health advocacy allies, we fought for years to see this common-sense law passed. Our fight was rooted in our deep commitment to improving the health and lives of all communities. This law does just that.

HPV is the leading cause of cervical cancer, and South Carolina ranks seventh in the nation for cervical cancer mortality. The HPV vaccination is extremely safe, and has proven to reduce the risk of cervical cancer by as much as 90 percent when provided early enough.

I’m proud that in South Carolina, young people and their parents now have opportunities and information to make the best decisions about their long-term health care.

Planned Parenthood has always been committed to providing quality and affordable health care to the communities we serve, and we will continue to support and fight for laws that improves the health and safety of all South Carolinians, no matter what.

This story was originally published May 15, 2016 at 5:34 PM with the headline "Letters: SC cervical cancer law will save lives."