Today is Hillary Clinton’s last day of work at the State Department. It is also the day when John Kerry will begin his work as secretary of state. As this transition takes place, one issue we have paid close attention to is the future of U.S. leadership for women’s health and rights globally, which Clinton has made a priority during her tenure. This week, however, the Obama administration has made clear that this administration will continue its official policy of fostering tremendous advancements for women and girls around the world. This is great news for women and young people worldwide and signals the lasting legacy of Clinton’s leadership in promoting women and girls.

July 17, 2013

First passed in 1994 with broad bipartisan support, and reauthorized TWICE since with improved protections, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is a critical law that has had a tremendous impact on reducing the national rate of intimate partner violence. One would think that passing a bill that works to ensure women are safe and healthy would be a no brainer, but that was not the case last year. Lawmakers in Congress failed to come to an agreement to reauthorize VAWA. More specifically, the House refused to pass an inclusive VAWA bill that meets the needs of all victims, including Native Americans, immigrants, and LGBT victims.

July 17, 2013

This Valentine’s Day, Planned Parenthood affiliates and organizations across the country are sending a strong message to members of Congress: we must put an end to violence against women.

July 16, 2013

What happened in Texas over the last couple of weeks was a sight to behold. From the moment Wendy Davis took to the floor to filibuster SB 5 on June 26—an extreme and dangerous bill that could severely restrict access to safe and legal abortion in the state, we knew something special was happening.

July 15, 2013

Even before he assumed the role of House Speaker, Thom Tillis made clear that limiting a woman’s right to make her own personal medical decisions was a top priority. His priorities became more than clear this week when he played an integral role in maneuvering two bills, both originally unrelated to women's health, amended with some of the most dangerous and extreme abortion restrictions in the country and rushed through with every trick in the book.

July 12, 2013

On Wednesday, the bus stopped in Dallas for a press conference outside City Hall that drew about two hundred supporters. From there, we hopped back on the bus and headed to Fort Worth where more than 1,500 people stood in the 100 degree heat to stand with Texas women.

July 11, 2013

Senator Marco Rubio is reportedly poised to introduce a nationwide 20-week abortion ban. Hundreds of staff and youth leaders from across the country rallied at the U.S. Capitol to say “enough is enough”.

July 11, 2013

You've seen the news: When they thought no one was looking last week, state senators in North Carolina tucked several dangerous attacks on women's health into an unrelated bill. Legislation originally meant to -- yes, you're reading this right -- ban "Sharia Law" in North Carolina will now also severely restrict a woman's ability to make deeply personal, private decisions about her pregnancy by restricting access to safe and legal abortion.

July 10, 2013

Rick Perry and his allies have lit a fuse in Texas. They've slashed funding for women's health and cut 130,000 women off from their only source of care. Now, they're pushing their dangerous agenda to a new extreme — threatening to shut down dozens of health centers, denying even more women access to basic care and ending access to safe and legal abortion in most of the state.

July 10, 2013