5 things you can do RIGHT NOW to prepare for the fights we’ll face in 2018

By Madeleine Ellis | Jan. 8, 2018, 3:47 p.m.

Category: Attacks on Planned Parenthood, Health Care Equity

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Abortion bans. So-called "tax-reform." All three versions of Trumpcare. In 2017, we faced attack after attack from state houses, from Congress, and from the White House.

Given the countless battles for our health care last year, we know that there will be fights ahead of us in 2018. We want you to be prepared when we call on you to take action and make your voice heard.

At some point this year, we’re going to ask you to call your congressperson or senator. It WILL happen — they need to hear from you when there is legislation that threatens our health care. So, right now, add our call number to your contacts, and flag it as a favorite. Make sure you can quick-dial that number the next time our health care is under threat.

You can also add your senator’s direct phone number! Visit this page on Senate.gov, find your senator, and add them as a favorite on your phone.

The advantage to using the Planned Parenthood Action Fund number is that we’ll always direct you to the person who needs to hear from you most — and you won’t have to do any additional work to make that happen.

Be sure to talk to your family, friends and community about calling their congresspeople as well. If you are undocumented or legally barred from voting, you can still pressure Congress (or your elected officials) to vote to protect health care and issues important to you.

Our local affiliates take the lead when it comes to on-the-ground actions like rallies, canvassing, or phone banks. Visit our local page, select your state from the drop-down menu, and click through to find your state affiliate’s website.

Take a few minutes right now to familiarize yourself with their website. Follow them on social media, and join their email list. This is critically important when it comes to finding local opportunities that can make a real difference.

This one is quick and easy: Text FIGHT to 22422 and you’ll be the first to know what action is most important, and when.

Our fight extends far beyond health care. From protecting immigrants to securing economic justice to fighting for voting rights for all communities, we are committed to building a world where people have full access to all of the tools they need to live full, safe, healthy, and autonomous lives. We can’t do this alone. Follow our partner organizations on Twitter or Facebook to stay involved:

ACLU

Sister Song

Color of Change

Advancement Project

United We Dream

Click here to find a list of even more allies. 

When you call your senator, attend a rally, speak to your friends and family, or even post an article on social media, it’s critical that you are well-educated on the issues you’re talking about.

Stay up-to-date with our Planned Parenthood Action Fund blog, and read our “defund defined” page to understand more about what “defunding” Planned Parenthood really means.

Read about reproductive justice — what it actually means, and how it’s different from health care advocacy.

Understand what people mean when they talk about “intersectionality” and why it’s important. Watch this quick video, voiced by Jouelzy and by Kimberlé Crenshaw, the scholar who coined the term.

#APeoplesJourney: African American Women and the Struggle for Equality

Immigrants are a vital part of America. Trump’s mean-spirited attacks on immigrants disproportionately affect immigrant women, discourage undocumented people from getting health care, and leave millions of immigrants, and people who are perceived as immigrants, vulnerable to violence. Migration with dignity is a reproductive justice issue.

LGBTQ rights are repro rights. Learn more about why we’re committed to providing inclusive, gender-affirming care.

Here are two fights we are facing — and are ready for you to take action on — right now:

1. Tell your senators to reject Alex Azar's nomination to HHS secretary, unless he vows to reverse the department’s extreme, anti-women policies. If Alex Azar wants to be the new secretary of Health and Human Services, he needs to commit to replacing the officials who are responsible for pushing this dangerous agenda, and fulfill the agency's mission of helping, not hurting, people who need health care.

2. Join the fight for birth control. Despite the fact that birth control is essential to women’s economic and social advancement, the Trump administration is hell-bent on chipping away at access to it.

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