Planned Parenthood Action Fund Patient Advocates Ask Congress to Support Sexual and Reproductive Health Care
For Immediate Release: June 14, 2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. — This week, Planned Parenthood Action Fund patient advocates from across the country visited Capitol Hill to meet with their members of Congress and their staff about the importance of protecting and expanding access to sexual and reproductive health care. Their visits coincided with the Supreme Court’s ruling on access to mifepristone.
Through dozens of meetings, patient advocates shared their stories to shine a light on the complexities of sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion care, gender-affirming care, access to comprehensive sex education, birth control access, the ability to gain agency after incest and domestic violence, and the ability to make decisions about their own bodies, lives and futures. Two patient advocates also shared their experience with medication abortion, including Campbell Baker from Seattle, Washington, who recounted receiving care from a Planned Parenthood health center:
“I used medication abortion from Planned Parenthood after being sexually assaulted. I knew it was the only right choice for me, and since being raped, the only time I was actually given a choice. If Planned Parenthood wasn't there, I'd have been forced to raise someone that I had no choice in carrying, and no choice in what to do next. I grew up in a place with access to medication abortion and many options for my reproductive needs, but most people are not as lucky as me. Safe reproductive care should be accessible for everyone everywhere.”
The advocates — from California, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, New York, South Carolina, Texas and Washington — participated in Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s (PPAF) Lobby Day and are all members of the 2024 class of the National Storytellers of Planned Parenthood (NSPP).
In addition to various meetings on the Hill with members of the House and Senate, advocates also watched the Senate vote on the Right to IVF Act — which was blocked by Senate Republicans — and met with members of the White House Gender Policy Council and the Office of the Vice President Tuesday morning.
If you are interested in interviewing a patient advocate please email [email protected].
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Planned Parenthood Action Fund is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit membership organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The Action Fund engages in educational, advocacy, and limited electoral activity, including grassroots organizing, legislative advocacy, and voter education.