The Quickie: Planned Parenthood Votes Announces Growing Investment, New Ad in Georgia Senate Runoff 

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: PP Votes announces growing investment and new ad in GA Senate runoff, PPTNM director walks 538 miles for abortion access in Tennessee, PPFA president thanks Speaker Pelosi for decades of leadership, PPAF president appears on GMA, and PP selected as a Bronze honoree at the Shorty Impact Awards!

PLANNED PARENTHOOD VOTES ANNOUNCES GROWING INVESTMENT, NEW AD IN GEORGIA SENATE RUNOFF: Yesterday, Planned Parenthood Votes announced a new digital ad and growing seven-figure investment in Georgia’s high-stakes U.S. Senate race, which is now headed to a runoff election on December 6. The continued investment builds on months of work in Georgia to re-elect abortion rights champion Sen. Raphael Warnock.

“All eyes are on Georgia, where our rights are still on the ballot and our work is not yet done. Given the threats in the near and long-term to abortion access, every seat in the U.S Senate makes a difference,” said Amy Kennedy, spokesperson for Planned Parenthood Votes in Georgia. “Planned Parenthood Votes has worked around the clock to elect abortion rights champions in Georgia, already securing crucial victories in key U.S. Congressional races, and we will carry that momentum forward through the Dec. 6 runoff to ensure that Georgians return Sen. Raphael Warnock to Washington.”

The new ad, “Can’t Be Trusted,” urges Georgians to reject anti-abortion rights zealot Herschel Walker, whose campaign has been defined by lies and hypocrisy. The 15-second spot reminds viewers that Walker is wildly out of touch with the majority of Georgians who oppose abortion bans, using his own words: “There’s not a national ban on abortion right now, and I think that’s a problem,” Walker tells reporters in the clip.

Read more about the Georgia electoral program here and watch the new ad here.

PLANNED PARENTHOOD DIRECTOR FRANCIE HUNT WALKS 583 MILES FOR ABORTION ACCESS: The Knoxville News Sentinel covered Francie Hunt, Director of Organizing and Advocacy of Planned Parenthood Tennessee and North Mississippi (PPTNM), and her 583-mile walk between Memphis to Johnson City. The purpose of her walk is to bring awareness to abortion rights and lack of abortion access throughout the country. On her walk, she made note that the division in this country is less about party lines but about democracy versus authoritarianism. 

"On a political front, it's really about who gets to make those decisions. Is it Governor Lee? Or is it your family?" she said.

Read more at Knoxville News Sentinel. 

PPFA PRESIDENT THANKS SPEAKER PELOSI FOR DECADES OF LEADERSHIP: Yesterday, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) President Alexis McGill Johnson thanked Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her decades of service to America after Speaker Pelosi announced that she will not serve in leadership in the next Congress.

Speaker Pelosi has been a tireless advocate for sexual and reproductive health care throughout her tenure in office–and as the first female Speaker in U.S. history. 

“Speaker Pelosi is in a class all her own,” McGill Johnson said. “For decades, she has delivered on visionary, transformative policies and funding for sexual and reproductive health programs both domestically and globally. Speaker Pelosi’s leadership endured efforts to take away health care coverage, and strip people of the right to control their lives, bodies, and futures. Through it all, her grace, grit, and determination have guided her and our country, leaving our communities and the world all the better. The country is grateful for her immeasurable contributions.”

Read more at The 19th and read PPFA’s full statement here.

“PEOPLE VOTED FOR FREEDOM.” Yesterday, Planned Parenthood Action Fund President Alexis McGill Johnson joined TJ Holmes and Dr. Jen Ashton on GMA3: What You Need to Know to discuss what the election results signal for abortion rights. She discussed the five ballot measure victories, and the powerful message that voters sent by voting in support of reproductive freedom across party lines, identities, and generations, noting: 

“What it did was actually tell the rest of America what we've already known, that these bans are deeply unpopular. The majority of people believe that they should be making these decisions with their provider. There is no space to have a politician in the exam room with you, and consistently they continue to say that over and over again.

“Whether it's a blue state or red state, purple state, you know, they continue to vote for freedom. Where I think this is going right is we will see additional states try to come back into state legislative sessions in January and introduce more restrictive bans. But they will be more cautious now because they know the voters are not with them.”

Watch the segment here. 

PLANNED PARENTHOOD SELECTED AS SHORTY IMPACT BRONZE HONOREE: Yesterday, the Shorty Impact Awards announced that it selected Planned Parenthood as a Bronze honoree — fourth best in the podcast category — for Be Seen TONE, a series of self-care playlists created especially for Black, Latino, and nonbinary people. The Shorty Impact Awards is an international awards program dedicated to celebrating purpose-driven work from brands, agencies and nonprofits that make meaningful social change. Planned Parenthood’s Be Seen TONE received the honor for its creativity, innovation, and positive impact.

Both a wellness tool and an extension of Planned Parenthood's Be Seen brand campaign, TONE connects self-care to sexual health care and helps ease the burnout that we have all felt amid a devastating year for abortion rights.

Listen to the TONE podcast on Be Seen’s website.