Washington, DC – Thanks to U.S. Senators who actually care about women’s health, Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) government spending bill that would have defunded Planned Parenthood has been stopped.
For months, extremists in Congress have promoted a fraudulent smear campaign against the country’s largest provider of excellent, non-judgmental reproductive health services. To be clear, their aim is not just to block the 2.7 million women and men served by Planned Parenthood from accessing essential family planning services. They are also hell-bent on shaming women and ultimately banning all abortion.
The reality is that Planned Parenthood is beloved – and it’s no wonder. By one estimate, one in five women in the U.S. has used Planned Parenthood’s services at some point during their lifetime. Attacks on Planned Parenthood attack the patients who depend on their care the most: low-income women and families, young women, and people of color.
Family planning clinics funded by the Federal Title X program, including Planned Parenthood, save the lives and health of these women and men every day. Right-wing politicians, whose venomous anti-woman, anti-healthcare policies are so relentless that they threaten to shut down the government, are anything but “pro-life”.
One in three women will have an abortion by the age of 45. Ninety-nine percent of sexually active women have used contraception. Reproductive health services are basic healthcare for women and must be safe, affordable and medically appropriate for every women in the U.S.
While we are proud of this victory, we know the fight is far from over. Those who would withhold vital health care from women are entitled to their opinion — but they don’t belong in the U.S. Senate. NOW chapters across the country are already mobilizing to replace them with legislators who will stand up for women’s basic rights.