The Quickie: Planned Parenthood Votes Has The Receipts
For Immediate Release: Aug. 22, 2023
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: Planned Parenthood Votes launches first 2024 electoral cycle ad buy, CDC director highlights importance of abortion access, Indiana abortion ban in effect
PLANNED PARENTHOOD VOTES LAUNCHES FIRST PAID AD OF THE CYCLE: This morning, as first reported by NPR, Planned Parenthood Votes launched its first paid ad buy of the 2024 cycle. Receipts, which is running on national social media platforms and in Wisconsin, features a compilation of clips from Mike Pence, Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, and Tim Scott talking about their support for a national abortion ban.
“Make no mistake: No matter how the GOP presidential candidates try to spin their extreme anti-abortion views on the debate stage, they all support a national abortion ban,” said Jenny Lawson, the executive director of Planned Parenthood Votes. “We have the receipts and we’re bringing them directly to voters. There's nowhere to hide. Planned Parenthood Votes will make sure everyone knows how out-of-touch and eager they are to take away our health care and rights.”
NEW CDC DIRECTOR SPEAKS OUT ABOUT ABORTION ACCESS: In an interview with TIME Magazine, Dr. Mandy Cohen, the new director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), expressed concern over the status of abortion rights across the country. Dr. Cohen said, “I'm so disappointed that we are here, that we are having the conversation to revisit whether or not women should have access to health care when they need it.”
She noted that the CDC’s mission is to protect and improve health outcomes and vowed that they will support the work being done across the government to protect women in their reproductive health. The director emphasized the already big role that the CDC plays in women’s health and says they will continue to highlight the data, science, and best practices for reproductive health care.
Read the full interview here.
INDIANA TOTAL ABORTION BAN OFFICIALLY TAKES EFFECT: On Monday, the Indiana Supreme Court denied abortion providers’ request to rehear a challenge to the total abortion ban and its June decision upholding the ban. With the law now in effect, Indiana health care providers can only provide abortion in the most limited circumstances, and even then only in hospital facilities. Uncertainty about the decision’s timing forced abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawai’i, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky (PPGNHAIK), to stop scheduling patients in early August. Providers expressed fear that patients turned away would then experience delays in getting care out-of-state. Indiana is the 21st state where a ban has eliminated all or some abortion.
In a statement about the ban, PPGNHAIK physician Dr. Katie McHugh emphasized the need to continue fighting for Hoosiers:
“Our patients are our passion. And we aren’t alone. As health care providers, we will continue the fight: No matter the landscape, we are here to stay. We are here to help the people in Indiana access the care they need. And we invite the community to join us. We challenge all Hoosiers to stand against this oppression and reclaim the right to control our own body and future. This is not the first battle, nor will it be the last.”
Read more at the Indianapolis Star and the Indiana Capital Chronicle.