For decades, too many women have gone without important preventive health screenings and services, like mammograms, pap tests, and contraception, because their insurance companies refused to cover them.

Thanks to Obamacare, those days are finally over. Insurance companies now have to cover preventive health services for both men and women at no additional costs, putting Americans in charge of their health care and lowering costs for women and their families.

Starting Aug. 1, insurance companies began to cover eight new health services for women, including contraception, breastfeeding support, well-woman exams, domestic violence screenings, and sexually transmitted disease screenings without any co-pay or deductible.

As a result, 1.8 million women in Ohio will gain coverage for these services in the coming months. This will not just save women and their families money – they also help save lives.

Unfortunately, Romney wants to turn back the clock and repeal Obamacare, eliminating these new protections and returning to the days when women could be charged more for health insurance, just for being a woman.

Romney also supports the Blunt-Rubio amendment that would turn women’s health decisions over to their bosses and he also wants to “get rid of” all federal funding for Planned Parenthood, which would prevent millions of women from accessing cancer screenings and annual exams.

Every woman deserves to be able to get the care she needs to live a long and healthy life. I believe we should continue to move forward and that is why I am supporting President Obama

Georgene Stapleton

Ironton