How to Talk to Your Family About Planned Parenthood This Holiday

So. Tis the season for gathering ’round the holiday table with your loved ones, or your liked ones, or your in-laws you have no choice but to tolerate once a year, or your college bestie and her “UGH, what is she even thinking?!” significant other.

And you know one of the most important questions people will ask — besides “Where’s the wine?” and “Are two dozen pies really enough?” — is: “What will happen to Planned Parenthood?”

So here’s how you can be the holiday hero by dropping some real talk knowledge at the table:

Planned Parenthood has been here for 100 years. It’s not going anywhere.

Planned Parenthood will never back down and never stop fighting to ensure that patients have access to the care they need, no matter their race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, income, country of origin, or zip code. Planned Parenthood’s doors stay open, no matter what.

Yes, Donald Trump and Mike Pence threatened to “defund” Planned Parenthood. No, that doesn’t mean it’s a done deal.

The fact is that the majority of Americans support Planned Parenthood and don’t want to see it defunded. Trump and Pence know that millions of patients rely on Planned Parenthood every year for essential health care, like STD testing and treatment, birth control, cancer screening, well-woman exams, and, in some locations, hormone replacement therapy.

Opposing Planned Parenthood is an unpopular position with American voters of all parties. Just ask soon-to-be-former Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire.

Planned Parenthood supporters have power.

Since the election, there’s been an outpouring of support for Planned Parenthood that is so big it reflects the unending power of the reproductive rights movement. Case in point: Over 182,000 people have donated to Planned Parenthood since Nov. 8 (including 46,000 donations in Mike Pence's name). Anyone can join the fight.