"We're here to re-elect Barack Obama President of the United States of America"
- Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Action Fund
"Planned Parenthood saved my life"
- Cynthia Wilson, Planned Parenthood patient
CHARLOTTE – The Planned Parenthood Action Fund today held a rousing
Women are Watching rally in Charlotte during the Democratic National
Convention as part of the organization’s campaign to educate voters
about what’s at stake for women and women’s health this November and
mobilize them to get out the vote. The organization endorsed
President
Obama for re-election on May 30, 2012.
Gathering at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in downtown Charlotte, nearly a thousand attendees, wearing "2012 Yes We Plan" pink T-shirts, sent a clear message to candidates and politicians like Mitt Romney who oppose women’s health — women are watching and they vote. This year, women will decide the outcome of elections across the country, and are watching very closely to ensure that they elect candidates — up and down the ballot — who will protect women’s health care.
President Obama understands the health and economic challenges women face — and has fought to address them by expanding health care for women, including access to birth control and cancer screenings without a co-pay; fighting for equal pay for women; and standing up to protect a woman’s ability to make her own personal medical decisions.
The rally follows the organization’s two-week Women Are Watching…and Voting battleground bus tour, which made stops in eleven states and traveled more than 5,000 miles.
Speakers at today’s rally included: Planned Parenthood Action Fund President Cecile Richards; author, podcaster, and co-host of CBS' The Talk, Aisha Tyler; Georgetown Law Center graduate and women's health activist Sandra Fluke; Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, Cory Booker; Congresswoman Gwen Moore (WI-4); actor/activist Lisa Edelstein, best known for her role as Dr. Lisa Cuddy on the television drama House; President of Young Democrats of America Emily Tisch Sussman; and Planned Parenthood patient Cynthia Wilson, 55, from Dallas, Texas.
"On behalf of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, on behalf of the one in five women who come to Planned Parenthood at some point in her lifetime for health care that they need, on behalf of the nearly three million folks who came last year, and the doctors and nurses who go to work every single day to care for women in this country – we're here to re-elect Barack Obama President of the United States of America," said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, in her concluding remarks this afternoon in Charlotte.
Efforts to eliminate access to birth control, cancer screenings, and basic preventive health services started in Congress 18 months ago and give voters a clear look into the extreme and out-of-touch agenda that Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, and their closest allies would bring to the White House when it comes to women and women’s health.
"Planned Parenthood saved my life," said Cynthia Wilson, whose ovarian cancer was diagnosed early during a visit to a Planned Parenthood health center in Texas, as she spoke about Gov. Perry’s drastic statewide cuts to health care and family planning for an estimated 160,000 Texas women. “It makes me weep to think of the women who will not have access to the care that I did — and who may end up dying because their last lifeline was cut. And what Rick Perry has done to Texas, is the same thing that Mitt Romney has pledged to do across our country — to get rid of Planned Parenthood — ending access to cancer screenings, preventive care, and birth control for millions of women.”
Nearly three million patients come to Planned Parenthood health centers every year — not to make a political statement but to get high-quality, affordable health care. Planned Parenthood health centers see more than two million patients for birth control every year, and provide nearly 750,000 breast cancer screenings and more than four million STI tests/treatments. Preventive care and birth control are economic issues for women and families, and supporting family planning is smart fiscal policy for the country.
Women are Watching is Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s 2012 campaign to educate women across the country about the unprecedented attacks on women’s health and where candidates stand on pivotal health care issues, empower women to hold anti-women’s health candidates of either party accountable, and work to elect pro-women’s health candidates up and down the ballot.
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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.
“Any more help from Mitt
Romney, I’m going to have to take in ironing.”
“This year women learned that if we aren’t at the table, we’re on the
menu.”
“Thanks to President Obama, being a woman is no longer a pre-existing
condition.”
CHARLOTTE, NC — Planned Parenthood Action Fund President Cecile Richards addressed the Democratic National Convention tonight, highlighting that President Obama has done more to advance women's health than any president in history and making crystal clear Mitt Romney's positions on women's health — and the consequences they would have for women nationwide.
“Mr. Romney and Mr. Ryan are campaigning for women’s
votes by saying, ‘women need our help.’ This is coming from two men who
are committed to ending insurance coverage for birth control. Who would
turn women’s healthcare decisions over to our bosses. And who won’t
even stand up for equal pay for women. As my grandmother back in Texas
would have said, any more help from Mitt Romney, ‘I’m going to have to
take in ironing,’” said Richards.
The Planned Parenthood Action Fund endorsed
President Obama for re-election on May 30, 2012.
President Obama understands the health and economic challenges women
face — and has fought to address them by expanding health care for
women, including access to birth control and cancer screenings without
a co-pay; fighting for equal pay for women; and standing up to protect
a woman’s ability to make her own personal medical decisions.
“On behalf of the millions of mothers, daughters, wives,
sisters and friends — Republicans and Democrats — who’ve counted on
Planned Parenthood for health care, and in honor of the thousands of
doctors and staff at Planned Parenthood health centers all across
America, I am proud tonight to support the re-election of President
Barack Obama,” said Richards. “President Obama understands women.
Thanks to President Obama, being a woman is no longer a pre-existing
condition!”
Efforts to eliminate access to birth control, cancer screenings, and basic preventive health services started in Congress 18 months ago and give voters a clear look into the extreme and out-of-touch agenda that Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan and their closest allies would bring to the White House when it comes to women and women’s health.
“This year women learned that if we aren’t at the table, we’re on the menu. So this November, women are organizing, mobilizing and voting for the leaders who fight for us,” Richards said.
Nearly three million patients come to Planned Parenthood health centers every year — not to make a political statement but to get high-quality, affordable health care. Planned Parenthood health centers see more than two million patients for birth control every year, and provide nearly 750,000 breast cancer screenings and more than four million STI tests/treatments. Preventive care and birth control are economic issues for women and families, and supporting family planning is smart fiscal policy for the country.
This is Richards’ second time speaking at the Democratic National Convention. In 2008, she offered the organization’s endorsement of Senator Obama in Denver and in 1988, she was with her mother, former Texas Governor Ann Richards, who told delegates that elections are a battle for “those who know we can do better.”
Yesterday, Richards’ addressed a crowd of nearly 1,000 supporters at
a Women are Watching
rally for women and women’s health in downtown Charlotte. She was
joined by Georgetown Law Center graduate and women's health activist
Sandra Fluke; Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, Cory Booker; Congresswoman
Gwen Moore (WI-4), and others. You can watch video footage here.
Women are Watching
is Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s 2012 campaign to educate women
across the country about the unprecedented attacks on women’s health
and where candidates stand on pivotal health care issues, empower women
to hold anti-women’s health candidates of either party accountable, and
work to elect pro-women’s health candidates up and down the ballot.
You can read Richards’ blog post “Dispatch from Charlotte” here.
YOU CAN VIEW THE FULL REMARKS AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY HERE.
Cecile Richards
Democratic National Convention
September 5, 2012
Remarks
as prepared for delivery
Good evening.
On behalf of the millions of mothers, daughters, wives, sisters and friends — Republicans and Democrats — who’ve counted on Planned Parenthood for health care, and in honor of the thousands of doctors and staff at Planned Parenthood health centers all across America, I am proud tonight to support the re-election of President Barack Obama!
Two years ago, when John Boehner, Paul Ryan, Todd Akin and the Tea Party took control of the House of Representatives, they promised to create jobs and jump-start the economy.
But instead, on day one, they came after women’s health ... and they haven’t let up since.
They voted to end cancer screenings and well-woman visits for five million women, end funding for birth control at Planned Parenthood, and for good measure, they even tried to redefine rape.
And now, Mitt Romney is campaigning to get rid of Planned Parenthood and overturn Roe v. Wade — and we won’t let him!
This year women learned that if we aren’t at the table, we’re on the menu.
So this November, women are organizing, mobilizing and voting for the leaders who fight for us.
Nearly 100 years ago, when Planned Parenthood was founded, birth
control was illegal.
As a result, few women had the opportunity to finish school.
We weren’t even expected to live past the age of 50.
Times have changed.
Today, we are mothers...AND, we are teachers and scientists and accountants and members of the armed forces.
And because of President Obama, more women than ever are serving in the Cabinet...and on the Supreme Court.
We’ve come so far. So why are we having to fight — in 2012! — against politicians who want to end access birth control?
It’s like we woke up in a bad episode of Mad Men.
Because when Mitt Romney says he’ll “get rid of” Planned Parenthood, and turn the clock back on a century of progress, it has real consequences for the three million patients who depended on Planned Parenthood last year.
Women like Libby Bruce, the patient you just heard from.
Women like Brandy McWade, a 27-year-old whose Stage 2 breast cancer was caught at a Planned Parenthood health center. She is now cancer-free.
Or the woman who went on Facebook after Paul Ryan voted to defund Planned Parenthood and posted, “I guess they don’t understand that us military wives go to Planned Parenthood when the doctor on base can’t see us.”
Mr. Romney and Mr. Ryan are campaigning for women’s votes by saying, “women need our help.”
This is coming from two men who are committed to ending insurance coverage for birth control.
Who would turn women’s healthcare decisions over to our bosses. And who won’t even stand up for equal pay for women.
As my grandmother back in Texas would have said, any more help from Mitt Romney, “I’m going to have to take in ironing.”
The good news is, we already have a president who’s on our side.
President Obama understands women. He trusts women. And on every issue that matters to us, he stands with women.
President Obama ensured that women’s preventive care — including birth control — will be covered by all health care plans, with no co-pay, no matter where we work.
Because of President Obama, women won’t be denied insurance because we’ve had breast cancer, or survived sexual assault... and we will no longer pay more than men for the same health insurance.
Thanks to President Obama, being a woman is no longer a pre-existing condition! Back in Texas, we say that you dance with them what brung you. President Obama
brought women to this dance and we’re staying with him all the way through November!
Twenty-four years ago, my mother, former Texas Governor Ann Richards, spoke at this convention.
She reminded us there was a time when folks had to drink from separate water fountains — when kids were punished for speaking Spanish in school — when women couldn’t vote.
Mom spent her entire life working to make things more fair — she believed the American dream wasn’t meant for just a few — it promised opportunity for everyone.
Just a couple of years before she passed, Mom had the chance to become friends with a young Senator named Barack Obama.
She saw in him the promise of the future, and the promise of America. The promise of an America that always moves forward.
That’s the America we believe in — and that’s the future we’ll be voting for this November.
As women, we’ve come too far to turn back. And we won’t. Mom wouldn’t stand for it. And neither will we.
So this November, we’re going to keep moving forward — and we are going to re-elect President Barack Obama.
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