09.29.16

Cantwell, Murray Celebrate Planned Parenthood’s First 100 Years

This week, Cantwell and Murray successfully fought for the removal of language that would have specifically blocked Planned Parenthood healthcare providers from accessing critical funding to combat the Zika virus

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Patty Murray (D-WA), led 17 of their Senate colleagues in introducing a resolution to recognize the importance of Planned Parenthood’s contributions to women’s health care and reproductive rights in America over the last 100 years.

Planned Parenthood will celebrate 100 years of providing care and information to millions of women about their reproductive health on October 16. The organization provides a wide array of reproductive health services, including prevention and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, abortion care, cancer screenings, wellness exams, birth control and prenatal care. Over the last decade, Planned Parenthood has also doubled the number of health services its doctors and nurses provide to men. One in 5 women in the U.S. will use Planned Parenthood for their health care in their lifetime.

Cantwell and Murray also stressed the importance of continued support for Planned Parenthood.

“Whether it is cancer screenings, family planning help, sex education, or so many other services, Planned Parenthood has a proven record of keeping families healthy, preventing disease, and saving money for taxpayers,” said Senator Cantwell. “On behalf of the 100,000+ Washingtonians served by Planned Parenthood each year, I have been proud to work alongside this remarkable organization to make sure all women have access to the care they need.”

“Every day, in Washington state and across the country, millions of women, men, and families are healthier because of the services Planned Parenthood provides,” Senator Murray said. “Put simply, Planned Parenthood saves lives—and that’s why, no matter how great the challenge, I will always remain committed to protecting and strengthening Planned Parenthood for today’s families and for generations to come.”

Planned Parenthood is also the largest sex education provider in America, offering informational programs to 1.5 million people in schools and community centers across the country.

The resolution would formally recognize that Planned Parenthood has made groundbreaking contributions to women’s health and reproductive rights over its 100 year history.

Specifically, the resolution would express the Senate’s view that Planned Parenthood is a safety net provider that reaches medically underserved people, should not be defunded or attacked for its role as a critical women’s health provider, and that Planned Parenthood “remains a critical thread in the fabric of our society.”

The resolution’s cosponsors include: Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash., Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, Al Franken, D-Minn., Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

Read the full text of the resolution here.

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