Second Gentleman of the United States, Doug Emhoff, Joins Planned Parenthood Southeast Advocates and Men4Choice; Encourages Men to Be Active Allies for Choice

President and CEO, Carol McDonald joined Doug Emhoff, Men 4 Choice, Nurse Practitioner, and male allies for panel discussion on engaging in conversations and actions around reproductive access 

VIEW event recap video here

NBC: Doug Emhoff calls on men to help advocate for abortion rights

ATLANTA, GA – This week, Doug Emhoff, Second Gentleman of the United States, visited Atlanta to join Planned Parenthood Southeast Advocates and President and CEO Carol McDonald on stage to advocate for abortion rights and access. McDonald and Emhoff emphasized the importance of having male allies in the fight for reproductive access and choice, especially in states with the most restrictive abortion bans in the country. 

Emhoff’s visit marks the third major visit by a U.S. official to a Planned Parenthood Southeast affiliate state this year, following Vice President Kamala Harris's visit to Savannah, Georgia in February and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Beccera's visit to Birmingham, Alabama in March after Alabama’s Supreme Court ruling on in vitro fertilization (IVF).

“Why should men show up? You show up because it is 2024. It is not 1973, it is not the 1920s, and it is for sure not 1864, Arizona. We are a modern, thriving, multi-ethnic democracy, we have freedoms and rights and that is what we expect. That is why we show up,” said Carol McDonald, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Southeast. “When we see the opposite in our states, men see that we need to get in order and they become staunch allies for choice along with everyone else. That is what we need this year, now more than ever."

“This is an issue of fairness to women. Women are dying,” said Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff. “It’s affecting man’s ability to plan their lives. And it’s also an issue of what’s next, what other freedoms are at risk. And these freedoms are affecting all Americans, not just women.”

Emhoff, who became the first Second Gentleman in U.S. history after the election of his wife, Vice President Kamala Harris, stated in an interview with NBC that he feels a responsibility to talk about abortion. He believes millions of Americans are suffering from the consequences of Roe v. Wade being overturned by the Supreme Court in 2022.

The panel also included Shawna Moore, a nationally-recognized women’s nurse practitioner, Devante Jennings, Chair of the Georgia Young Democrats Black Caucus, and Cecil Price III, Founder and CEO of the Youth Emergence Project.

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Planned Parenthood Southeast Advocates is committed to protecting and expanding access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare and advocating for policies that support the health and rights of all individuals. We believe in the fundamental right of each individual to have access to high-quality, non-judgmental healthcare, regardless of income, race, gender identity, or immigration status.