Congress has seriously been putting Planned Parenthood through the ringer, and with their latest “healthcare” bill (aka a tax cut disguised as healthcare), the organization’s future looks uncertain.
But it turns out, what the public has seen from Congress isn’t even the half of it. Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood, has been attending congressional hearing and said,
“It’s really become a five-ring circus—and counting. To break it down, the most extreme opponents of women’s health in Congress have pushed 18 separate votes to restrict women’s health in just the past several months, and they are leading four separate committees in investigating Planned Parenthood and have also created a special panel for the sole purpose of focusing on Planned Parenthood. It’s become very obvious that this is all part of a political agenda to make abortion illegal in this country. Despite the clear political agenda behind these investigations, we continue to cooperate fully with all of them.”
She says that Congress’ obsession with defunding Planned Parenthood is “putting health care for millions at risk” — and it’s true. PP provides services to 2.7 million people every year across the country.
And to clarify, government funding does not go towards abortion services. It only goes towards the many other services that PP provides — STD testing and treatment, cancer screenings, and pelvic exams, to name a few. As Richards puts it,
“Planned Parenthood is a place that anyone, no matter their background, their income, their sexuality, their gender identity, or their immigration status, can get high-quality, confidential and compassionate health care.”
The GOP has postponed their vote on the current healthcare bill until after the July 4th recess. Until then, keep calling tweeting, and emailing your representatives to tell them that Planned Parenthood needs to keep its funding. No ifs, ands or buts.
