Justice

Planned Parenthood Just Explained Why 'Trumpcare' Is Bad News for Women

March 7th 2017

Planned Parenthood is not about to give up their fight for women's reproductive rights anytime soon.

On Monday, The White House made an informal offer to Planned Parenthood: Stop performing abortions and your organization will continue to get federal funding. That's an offer the organization is compelled to refuse.

"Planned Parenthood is proud to provide abortion—a necessary service that’s as vital to our mission as birth control or cancer screenings," Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards responded. And on Tuesday, she released a statement opposing the GOP's Obamacare alternative (which some are calling "Trumpcare") that seeks to cut off funding from her organization.

"At Planned Parenthood, our motto is care no matter what," Richards said. "No matter where you come from, where you live ... you have a right to healthcare."

"[P]oliticians in Washington, D.C., are threatening to end access to birth control, breast exams, and cancer screenings for millions of people who count on Planned Parenthood," she added. "As these politicians know, federal funding isn't used for abortions. We disagree with this policy but we adhere to it to the letter of the law."

"We're proud to be there for the one in five women who have been to our health centers," Richards said, noting that, in part due to Planned Parenthood's work, unintended pregnancies in the U.S. are at a 30-year low and, thanks to Obamacare, "55 million women have access to no copay birth control."

Richards is not the only one to refer to the new health care proposal as an attack on women.

Online, the reaction to House Republicans' Obamacare alternative has been fierce:

If you're looking for a way to stand with Planned Parenthood, the group is asking supporters to sign a petition telling members of Congress to keep their hands off its funding.

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