President of Planned Parenthood Cecile Richards appeared on CNN Monday afternoon to discuss the latest assault on women’s healthcare as well as the Women’s March on Washington, an event in which Planned Parenthood is a partner. “Women in this country are absolutely not going without a fight and the majority is with us,” Richards stated.
During the segment on Christiane Amanpour’s show, Amanpour, Richards confirmed once again that none of Planned Parenthood’s funding goes to the organization’s abortion services, though—as she points out—in a just world, it would because abortion is a legal medical procedure that is instrumental to the quality of women’s lives.
But, because abortion is not funded by the federal government, Richards reminded viewers that:
“...What we’re talking about now, in fact, and what Paul Ryan—Speaker Ryan—said the other day is now they’re going to end access to Planned Parenthood preventive care. That means birth control services, cancer screenings, well-woman visits. We provide healthcare to 2.5 million people every single year and that healthcare is now at risk.”
The fight to retain low-cost access to basic women’s healthcare will be an uphill battle in the coming years, but Richards says both women and men are ready to fight that fight. And they’re (hopefully) coming armed with IUDs.
“We’ve had a 900 percent increase in women trying to get into Planned Parenthood to get an IUD,” Richards told Amanpour. “Because they’re desperately concerned that they might lose their access to healthcare and they know that Planned Parenthood is the place that can provide it.”
Here’s your regular reminder that you can help fight the fight (and help women receive the healthcare they need) by donating to Planned Parenthood here.