The intense battle between Planned Parenthood and Congressional Republicans is not new and is not yet over.
On September 29th, women and men alike began wearing pink shirts and changing their Facebook profile pictures to show support for the women’s health care provider.
Why now?
Earlier this year, an anti-abortion group released a string of videos that show Planned Parenthood workers discussing the harvesting of fetal tissue for medical research purposes.
Planned Parenthood has publicly claimed that the videos are highly edited and that the organization does not profit from such practices. Currently under investigation by four congressional committees, Planned Parenthood is entangled in a conflict with the Republicans who maintain an effort to defund the organization.
This past week, many supporters jumped on the national bandwagon to widely protest Congress, both physically and digitally.
Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, testified in front of one of the four committees investigating the organization on Tuesday, September 29th.
In order to spread the word, Planned Parenthood declared Tuesday to be National Pink Out Day, encouraging supporters to engage in rallies across the nation, as well as change their profile pictures on social media to images in pink.
Many of the images contained the hashtag #StandwithPP, allowing the phrase to go viral on Facebook and Twitter. Celebrities such as Ariana Grande and Elizabeth Banks joined the thousands of advocates who posted photos online about why they each support Planned Parenthood.
As other means of inspiration, the organization also offered free testing for sexually transmitted diseases in 28 cities nationwide.
If Planned Parenthood loses the fight, there will be consequences for women in America. Putting aside all individual and political viewpoints, this is a fact. Health services such as abortions, distribution of birth control, STD testing, and a variety of other health and educational services will no longer be as readily available to the 2.7 million people who walk into Planned Parenthood facilities each year.
To support Planned Parenthood is obviously a personal decision – one that cannot be considered solely based off gender or political party affiliation. No one is forced to back the organization, however many aren’t educated enough on the details of the battle to pick a stance.
1 in 5 women in America have benefited from the assistance of the experts at one of Planned Parenthood’s 20 clinics. That equates to about 30 million women around the country. There is also a small percentage of men who seek advice from the specialists.
National Pink Out Day was a single day, however, the effort does not need to stop there. Planned Parenthood urges supporters to continue wearing pink shirts, posting pictures on social media, and spreading awareness.
The organization does not want to give up on the battle, however, neither do the Republicans in Congress. On whichever side you stand, fight for what you believe in; don’t sit back and watch others make decisions for you.
