Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, announced Wednesday that they are launching a “multi-million dollar nationwide effort to ensure abortion is still accessible in the United States no matter what happens at the Supreme Court.”
They claimed that Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court was “solidifying an anti-abortion majority on the highest court in the land, and making it likely that the nationwide right to safe and legal abortion will be further eroded, if not eliminated, in the near future.“
Planned Parenthood explained that the campaign will be a three-pronged approach.
The organization will focus on expanding “services in states where abortion is likely to remain legal and accessible, and invest in technology and other resources to help people living in hostile states access abortion.”
They will also partner “with state advocates and coalition partners to use state policies to ensure there’s an ironclad network of states across the country where abortion will still be legal, no matter what happens at the Supreme Court.”
Their coalition will seek to push laws that strengthen abortion access.
The group’s third angle is to work on cultural change on abortion, attempting to normalize it and diminish “stigma,” particularly in “the media, in everyday conversations, and across popular culture — including working with the music, fashion, movie, and television industries, and with additional public awareness campaigns to be announced in the coming months.”
Kevin Griffis, Planned Parenthood's vice president of communications, told Vice that they’ve re-arranged their communications teams to work with the TV industry and that in the past they’ve worked with shows such as Jane the Virgin and Glee.
The coordination with Hollywood is hardly surprising given strong support the abortion provider receives from the industry.
Dawn Laguens, executive vice president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said in a statement about the new initiative that the abortion giant will “never back down” no matter “what those in power may say.”
“We demand a world where who you are or how much money you make doesn’t determine your access to health care or access to safe, legal abortion,” Laguens wrote. “We demand a world where your personal health care decisions aren’t affected by stigma, shame, or silence. We demand a world where providers can give patients the care they need without harassment or government interference. We demand a world where our elected officials represent the vast majority of Americans who support access to safe, legal abortion.”
Laguens does not cite polling backing up her claim that the "vast majority" of Americans support abortion access.
Gallup polling in June showed that a majority, 53 percent, of Americans believe in restrictions on the legality of abortion. The poll also found that 48 percent of Americans believe abortion is “morally wrong.”
“No matter what those in power may say, each of us deserves the right to control our own bodies,” Laguens concluded. “That includes the right to decide if and when to become a parent.”
Planned Parenthood performed 321,384 abortions over this past year, according to their latest annual report.
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