I want to talk about the things imperative to the BARB woman: our lives at hand. And on Thursday, the looming doom that is the freight train of the President-elect Team of Idiots made its first strike on women: the defunding of Planned Parenthood. Please take note: I am not dismissing the urgency and debilitating action of the repeal of the Affordable Care Act and how it will affect millions and millions of Americans on Medicaid; 11 million Americans were able to afford health insurance under Obamacare. Why dismantle it without a replacement plan in place? I DON’T KNOW. Still. For right now, I’d like to focus my ire and disgust on the impact the defunding of Planned Parenthood has on women, and the people in their lives.
Some facts about Planned Parenthood.
Still. Planned Parenthood. This one. This one hurts. 2.5 million Americans—and in particular, low-income women—rely on Planned Parenthood for mammograms, pap smears, STD testing, LGBT services and other matter relevant to women’s health which includes abortions. That the MEN in Congress want to defund the agency that seeks to treat women fairly is an abomination, misogyny at its core. To quote Nancy Pelosi: “So I just would like to speak individually to women across America. This is about respect for you, for your judgment about your personal decisions in terms of your reproductive needs, the size and timing of your family, and the rest, not to be determined by the insurance company or by the Republican, ideological, right-wing caucus in the House of Representatives.”
I am outraged.
What can we do?
There is the March of course. There is all the activity happening over that weekend, like boycotting work on that Friday.
And…Planned Parenthood. Bookmark it. Refer to it everyday.
In fact, they offer 7 things you can do to help RIGHT NOW. You don’t need to do all 7, but please do at least one of the things on their 7 things check list. Look at what you can do:
- Donate! As Planned Parenthood loses its federal funding, it needs your dollars. Federal funding covers 40 percent of total funds to Planned Parenthood’s services.
- Use the power you have at your fingertips to speak out. Pick up the phone and call Paul Ryan 608-752-4050 or tweet him at@SpeakerRyan.
- Volunteer!
- Make a health appointment at Planned Parenthood!
- Use the hashtag #wewontgoback in all your social media.
- Follow Cecile Richards on social media.
- Subscribe to the Planned Parenthood newsletter.
Some of this is at your fingertips, literally. Please. Even if you have the best OB/GYN ever, we need your help with Planned Parenthood. Every woman counts. For those of us hitting menopause or having to deal with hysterectomies and breast cancers and all the other shit that comes once you pass the threshold into your 40s, we need a women’s health organization such as Planned Parenthood to remain operating at full capacity. For some of us, it’s our only affordable option. So let’s help each other out.
Have a great weekend.
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