Planned Parenthood Patients Launch Cancer Survivors Network, Call on President Trump to Protect Planned Parenthood

A group of cancer survivors treated at Planned Parenthood have united to form the Cancer Survivors Network for Planned Parenthood, and they’re mobilizing fellow survivors across the country through cancersurvivorsforpp.org.

Founded by cancer survivors Jaime Benner, Natarsha McQueen, Gina Walkington, Carol Corbin, and Dayna Farris-Fisher, the group is speaking out against political attacks on Planned Parenthood that could jeopardize access to the essential cancer services that were so crucial to them and their loved ones. The group also called on President Donald Trump to protect access to Planned Parenthood so that women can continue to access the lifesaving care they need.

About the Cancer Survivors Network for Planned Parenthood

The Cancer Survivors Network for Planned Parenthood is working to ensure that President Trump and members of Congress clearly understand that access to detection and prevention services and referrals at Planned Parenthood are a matter of life and death. Cancer survivors, their families, friends, and allies will hold politicians accountable for playing politics with people's health and lives, and the care that Planned Parenthood provides.

Through TV and digital ads, the Cancer Survivors Network for Planned Parenthood is magnifying the voices of cancer survivors who credit Planned Parenthood with saving their lives, while also telling President Trump to stand with cancer survivors and protect Planned Parenthood.

Cancer Survivors’ Stories

“Cancer can happen to anyone, even the folks in Congress and the White House who are trying to stop women like me from going to Planned Parenthood for care. That’s why I’m fighting to make sure other women can continue to go to Planned Parenthood to get the care they need.”

—Jaime Benner, Cancer Survivors Network for Planned Parenthood co-founder

“Planned Parenthood saved my life when I was 19 years old and visited a health center to get birth control pills... A routine visit turned into a diagnosis of stage 3 ovarian cancer. Ultimately, I was lucky. I beat it, but if I had not had a trusted place to go, I might not have known about the tumor.”

—Carol Corbin, Cancer Survivors Network for Planned Parenthood co-founder

“I hate to think what could happen to other women just like me across the country if Planned Parenthood is defunded... How many women would delay their exam if they can’t go to their local Planned Parenthood health center and had to wait months for an appointment elsewhere? How many women won’t get their diagnosis until their cancer is much more advanced and expensive to treat? How many women won’t get their diagnosis until it’s too late? Lawmakers need to think about these women, not about scoring political points.”

—Natarsha McQueen, Cancer Survivors Network for Planned Parenthood co-founder

“As an underinsured college student, Planned Parenthood provided a safe, affordable way to get the medical care I needed... If not caught in time, my precancerous cells could have turned into cancer, which could have ended the possibility of having children. Thankfully, 11 years ago I had this invaluable resource and am now a mom to three boys.”

—Gina Walkington, Cancer Survivors Network for Planned Parenthood co-founder

“Planned Parenthood health centers are filled with caring clinicians like Vivian, my guardian nurse, who stuck with me throughout my journey because access to timely care is a human right that should be available to all women... Too many women don't have the resources to put up a good fight without allies like Planned Parenthood on the line with them. That’s why we need to tell our stories: so that politicians know what’s really at stake when they attack Planned Parenthood.”

—Dayna Farris-Fisher, Cancer Survivors Network for Planned Parenthood co-founder

Cancer & “Defunding” Planned Parenthood

Without Planned Parenthood, millions of women would lose access to routine cancer screenings and, they would be left without a reliable resource for cancer detection and care. But the Affordable Care Act (ACA) repeal bill currently being considered in the House of Representatives includes a provision that would specifically block people with Medicaid coverage from accessing preventive health care at Planned Parenthood health centers -- including cancer screenings, birth control, and STD testing and treatment.

The American Medical Association, American Public Health Association, The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the National Hispanic Medical Association oppose efforts to “defund” Planned Parenthood.

Are you or a loved one a cancer survivor?

Join the network at cancersurvivorsforpp.org.