The Quickie: Leslie Jones Receives Award Nomination For Planned Parenthood Segment

Welcome to “The Quickie” — Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s daily tipsheet on the top health care & reproductive rights stories of the day. You can read “The Quickie'' online here.

In today’s Quickie: Leslie Jones receives NAACP Image Award nomination for her Planned Parenthood segment, PA lawmakers call for abortion access reform, and Colorado advocates aim to expand abortion protections.

CONGRATULATIONS LESLIE! Last year, Leslie Jones, comedian and actress, while guest hosting The Daily Show, talked about the vital role Planned Parenthood played in her life and how it was vital for people to be able to get access to essential reproductive and sexual health care, and sex education. Her segment has been nominated for a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Performance

Watch the full segment here and her interview with Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s president here.
 

PENNSYLVANIA LAWMAKERS CALL FOR ABORTION ACCESS REFORMS: WITF and Spotlight Pennsylvania report that Pennsylvania legislators supportive of abortion rights intend to repeal a law that has stunted abortion access for more than a decade. 

Advocates note that, for over a decade, Pennsylvania state law has required abortion providers to meet the same requirements as ambulatory surgical facilities — far beyond what is necessary for abortion. Providers across the state spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to comply, and some even closed. Health care providers across the state are prevented from offering even medication abortion in their offices by the law, severely restricting access to care in the central region. 

Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates executive director Signe Espinoza told WITF that, while abortion is legal in Pennsylvania, the state is still restrictive. “Pennsylvanians are traveling hundreds of miles, reaching centers and being told that their one-day appointment now became two,” she said. “Being told that their healthcare will not be covered, even though it is a life saving procedure. And being harassed before they reach check in. The list goes on. This is the reality of abortion care in Pennsylvania.”

Read more at WITF and Spotlight Pennsylvania. 
 

IN OP-ED, ADVOCATES TOUT ABORTION RIGHTS BALLOT INITIATIVE IN COLORADO : In an op-ed for the Denver Post, two leaders of Coloradans for Protecting Reproductive Freedom explain why passing Proposed Initiative 89 is “a matter of simple fairness.” COLOR president Dusti Gurule and Cobalt executive director Karen Middleton write, “In a state where the values of personal autonomy and fairness are deeply ingrained, it is time to recognize that state laws alone are insufficient to safeguard the right to abortion.”

In the op-ed, Gurule and Middleton note that under current Colorado law  public employees  are denied abortion coverage through their employer-sponsored health insurance:

“These are our neighbors and friends. They teach our children, protect our communities from crime and fires, clean our streets, buildings, and parks — and provide essential services to all of us. We should support every Coloradan in making the best health care decisions possible for themselves and their families without the added stress of whether or not they can afford the medical attention they deserve.” 

Read the full op-ed at the Denver Post.