To the Editor:
In a span of less than a year, our region’s recently appointed state senator, Theresa Gavarone, has voted
to freeze Medicaid Expansion and vote in favor of defunding planned parenthood. Both of these votes
should clarify Gavarone’s true intentions on access to healthcare for all Ohioans: she’s against it,
despite a social media campaign saying she’s for it. This political doublespeak is why Americans, when
polled, view elected officials so poorly (at historically low levels, actually).
What doesn’t make sense is why she’d vote this way? Expansion is almost entirely funded by the federal
government, injects nearly $3 billion in economic productivity for Ohio according to Policy Matters Ohio
(in the way of well-paying healthcare jobs that our region needs more of), and is the key ingredient to
meaningfully address the opioid crisis (also according to research from Policy Matters Ohio). Gavarone
enjoys speaking about her commitment to addiction-related issues. If she’s so committed, then why
support such a harmful policy?
Her vote to defund planned parenthood is equally puzzling. She was actually against a similar bill when
in the Ohio House but now enthusiastically voted for it. What changed? The policy certainly did not.
Defunding planned parenthood means that many women in our region who need basic primary healthcare
services will be out of luck. If you’re a woman and need cost-effective health services like a
mammogram, blood pressure medication or a diabetes screen, Gavarone voted to deprive you access to care.

Ohio ranks 46 out of 50 in health outcomes, has the nation’s second worst opioid crisis, second worst
infant mortality rates, and continues to face water security crises daily from Lake Erie.
Let’s not sugarcoat reality, even in this age of social media where substance rarely prevails over style.
Addressing these crises means investing in our health systems, which will be a boon for our economy in
the process. Gavarone’s record is clearly anti-public health, even though healthcare should not be a
partisan issue.
Vin Gupta
Sylvania