PAI Stands with Planned Parenthood Federation of America

PAI applauds the champions in the U.S. Senate who blocked attempts this week to cut off federal funding for Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), one of the nation’s most critical providers of quality, affordable sexual and reproductive health services for women.

It is outrageous that access to vital services like contraceptive services, cervical cancer screening, and STD testing for millions of women is threatened by the unethical tactics of an organization whose mission is to shutdown PPFA.

The attacks on Planned Parenthood and the threat to its federal funding prove once again those who oppose a woman’s right to make her own decisions about her pregnancy are not just opposed to abortion. They are also fundamentally opposed to a woman’s right to contraception—and any ability she has to take charge of her fertility. As PPFA President Cecile Richards has pointed out, “If you’re concerned about what’s going on, you should release all [the videos] at once. Leaking one at a time, that’s politics.” Eliminating federal funding for PPFA would mean contraceptive access, particularly for low-income women and those in hard-to-reach areas, would be drastically reduced, if not erased.

PAI stands with Planned Parenthood because women’s health should not be held hostage to politics. Since its inception, PPFA has been a vocal partner and advocate in expanding health and rights not only for women in the United States, but also for women overseas, whose health and well-being are also affected by U.S. policies. We call on lawmakers to put anti-woman rhetoric aside and to be guided by the clear evidence on PPFA’s positive impact on women’s health and well-being. Too many lives depend on it.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Charlotte Cooper.

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PAI champions policies that put women in charge of their reproductive health. We work with policymakers in Washington and our network of partners in developing countries to remove roadblocks between women and the services and supplies they need. For 50 years, we’ve helped women succeed by upholding their basic rights. To learn more, visit pai2020s.wpengine.com.