Whenever you visit a new doctor, you’re asked if you’re allergic to any medications. Some people can’t take penicillin, for example, or always react poorly to Novocain.

But that doesn’t mean we take these worthwhile drugs off the formulary all together. Even though one person has an adverse reaction to a certain medicine, many others will benefit.

Last week health district board member Dr. Charles Wolfe described his allergy to Planned Parenthood. He doesn’t approve of the abortions it provides.

And for that reason, he balked at a small payment for a breast and cervical cancer screening program that Planned Parenthood offers to middle-aged and poor women.

His colleague, Spokane County Commissioner Mark Richard, chimed in, too. “I’d like to suggest that we consider directing folks to another clinic,” Richard said.

In the end, the health district board paid the $3,000, and the longtime partnership between Planned Parenthood and the health district continued.

And that’s as it should be. Planned Parenthood remains a vital link in the community’s network of care. Curtailing the district’s support would be shortsighted and damaging – especially for the poor.

Health district board members should focus on the overall mission, not use their platform as an opportunity for divisive political rhetoric. “Our vision,” the district’s Web site says, “is a healthy community for all.”

This region needs more health care options for the poor, not fewer.

While many physicians limit the number of Medicaid patients they see, Planned Parenthood specializes in serving them.

Last year it provided 73 percent of its services to patients living at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level. For a single woman living alone, that was an annual income of less than $14,300.

The bulk of its work centers on family planning, not abortion. Last year Planned Parenthood provided contraceptive services for about 16,000 clients, most of them in their 20s, while only performing about 2,100 abortions. Few citizens would condone limiting young women’s options for preventing pregnancy.

Reasonable people in this community disagree about abortion. But just because some citizens have developed an allergy for Planned Parenthood based on that single issue, we can’t forget the agency’s services remain a valuable treatment for