1. Call Your State Legislator
2. Call Congressman Ken Calvert
3. Call Governor Gavin Newsom
Check out some example scripts below!
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Scripts:
Call Your State Legislator
findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov
Script #1
Hello, my name is (first name), and I am calling as a concerned constituent in (legislators name)’s district. I learned from my local Planned Parenthood affiliate that the Governor called for half a billion dollars to be cut from family planning funding in his May Revision. As a reproductive freedom state, California has a duty to protect access to reproductive health care and that means prioritizing proper funding to essential providers like Planned Parenthood. I urge (legislators name) to stand with Planned Parenthood and prioritize reproductive health care funding during the upcoming budget hearings.
Script #2
Hello, my name is (first name), and I am a constituent in (legislators name)’s district. I would like to urge (legislators name) to defend and not defund reproductive health care organizations like Planned Parenthood during the upcoming budget hearings. Governor Gavin Newsom’s call for the State Legislature to cut half a billion dollars in family planning funding is unacceptable, especially when House Republicans are threatening to defund Planned Parenthood at the federal level. I call on my representatives in the state legislature to stand with Planned Parenthood now and always.
Call Congressman Ken Calvert
Call: (951) 277-0042
Script #1
Hello, my name is (first name), and I am calling on behalf of constituents in District 41 to express my extreme dissatisfaction with Congressmember Calvert’s vote on the recent federal budget resolution, which included significant cuts to Medicaid. 34% of Ken Calvert’s constituents are Medicaid enrollees who rely on Medi-Cal for access to essential health care. I want to know why Ken Calvert lied to constituents and broke his promise to not cut “safety net programs our vulnerable Americans rely on”?
Script #2
I am calling on behalf of (name of organization) to express my outrage for Ken Calvert’s vote this morning to support cuts to Medicaid/Medi-Cal. I urge Congressmember Ken Calvert to address his constituents with a townhall and explain to us why he lied about not wanting to cut “safety net programs our vulnerable Americans rely on.” Thank you for your time.
Call Governor Gavin Newsom
Call: (916) 445-2841
Script #1
Hello, my name is (first name), and I am calling to express my extreme disappointment in Governor Gavin Newsom for calling on the State Legislature to cut half a billion dollars in family planning funding through Prop 56. California voters overwhelmingly supported expanding reproductive health care funding in 2016 when Prop 56 came up, and again last year when Prop 35 came up. Voters made it clear that Californians want increased access to sexual and reproductive health care. Going against the will of the voters and California residents is a huge failure on the Governor’s behalf.
Script #2
Hello, my name is (first name), and I am a resident of (California city). I am calling because I am deeply concerned about Governor Newsom’s decision to cut $500 million in family planning funding in California. While Governor Newsom has repeatedly promised to protect and expand reproductive freedom in our state, slashing half a billion dollars from funding that provides access to birth control, STI testing, cancer screenings, and basic preventative care to millions of people every day, directly contradicts that promise.
At a time when reproductive rights are under attack across the country, California should be a safe haven and double down our protections to sexual and reproductive care providers and patients – not turn its back on people who need care the most.
What is Medicaid?
Medicaid is a public health insurance program funded primarily by the federal government. More than 72 million people in the United States use Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to access their health care. Every state has Medicaid – in California this program is called Medi-Cal. Medicaid covers essential, necessary health care services like doctor’s visits, hospital stays, prescription drugs, and long-term care.
Cuts to Medicaid would disproportionately harm people with low incomes, people of color, women, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQ+ community – and these groups already face high barriers to accessing care.
Today, Medicaid is the largest payer of family planning services, including essential reproductive health care like birth control, wellness exams, STI tests and treatment, cancer screenings, and more – paying for 75% of all publicly-funded family planning services.