Catholic Leaders across the Nation Reaffirm Support for Planned Parenthood
Today, over 100 Catholic state leaders and legislators from 33 states joined together to reaffirm their support for Planned Parenthood in a two-page spread in Politico. The House Freedom Caucus and other ultraconservatives in Congress are bent on using any legislation necessary to defund the organization, including possibly holding hostage the continuing resolution to keep the federal government open.
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From Alaska to Texas, Minnesota to Maine, the ad lifts up the voices of Catholic leaders who are taking a stand against Congressional attacks aimed at Planned Parenthood. United in their Catholic commitment to social justice, these local leaders have seen firsthand the essential role Planned Parenthood plays in America’s poorest communities, including rural populations and communities of color. They know Planned Parenthood is there with affordable birth control for the single mother in Kansas City working to get her degree at night so she can forge a new life for her and her children. They are there for the woman in Milwaukee who wants to do right by her conscience and finds herself with an unintended pregnancy when she is struggling to survive. They are the trusted provider for the young man in Phoenix who needs to be screened for HIV and relies on Planned Parenthood for quality healthcare and compassion.
“Let’s be clear. Washington-led attacks against Planned Parenthood only serve to hurt America’s poorest communities who rely on this critical healthcare provider across the nation,” said Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice. “It is because of their faith, not in spite of it, that America’s Catholics stand with Planned Parenthood. We support their service to the poorest communities. We support their role in protecting the right of every individual to make their own reproductive health choices free from the moral dictates of others and with dignity.”
As Catholic leaders, we urge Congressional leaders to listen to the voices of their communities and protect Planned Parenthood and its vital role in ensuring healthcare for all, including the most vulnerable.
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