Planned Parenthood Action Fund Marks Latina Equal Pay Day by Encouraging Latinas to Get Out the Vote

Washington, DC — Today, Planned Parenthood Action Fund celebrates Latina Equal Pay Day by encouraging Latinas to get out the vote. Latinas have the largest wage gap of any group, earning just 53 cents for every dollar that White, non-Latino men earn. The wage gap doesn’t just affect economic success; it also affects people’s ability to get health care. For Latinas, this can have disproportionate impact, as Latinas remain more likely to be uninsured than women of any other racial or ethnic group and as a result experience their health suffers.

To make matters worse, for the last two years, Donald Trump and Republican leadership have introduced policy after policy that attacks access to reproductive health care -- often hitting Latina populations the hardest. Currently, the Trump-Pence administration is moving forward the domestic gag rule, which would dismantle Title X -- the one program meant to ensure that people with low-incomes can still access reproductive health care services. More than one-third of the patients who rely on Title X are Hispanic or Latino. Dismantling Title X will limit health care options even further, making it even harder for Latinas to afford care.

Statement from Bridgette Gomez, Director of Latinx Outreach and Engagement, Planned Parenthood Action Fund:

Our health care, rights, and freedoms are on the line this November. Thankfully, despite facing the largest wage gap Latinas also have the power to sway the election. The midterms are our chance to send a clear message to those in power that if you vote against our rights, we’ll vote you out. The only way to prevent us from going backwards in this country is for everyone who believes in women’s equality — from equal pay for equal work to access to basic health care — to vote for candidates who will help close the wage gap and expand access to health care.

Planned Parenthood Action Fund is committed to breaking down the pay gap and protecting access to affordable and accessible reproductive health care to ensure that all people live stable, healthy, and empowered lives.

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Planned Parenthood Action Fund is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit membership organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The Action Fund engages in educational and electoral activity, including voter education, grassroots organizing, and legislative advocacy.