Planned Parenthood Great Plains Reacts to Failed “Skinny Repeal” Bill
For Immediate Release: July 28, 2017 (Updated: July 28, 2017, 3:56 p.m.)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Bonyen Lee-Gilmore, 913.345.4693
July 28, 2017
Planned Parenthood Great Plains (PPGP) rejoices and breathes a sigh of collective relief with the tens of millions of Americans whose health insurance and access to Planned Parenthood was on the line. PPGP commends the U.S. Senate’s bipartisan efforts that voted down the so-called “Skinny Repeal”, a devastating health care policy that would have left 16 million people without health care while blocking Medicaid patients from accessing Planned Parenthood. While the worst health care policy in a generation has failed, PPGP denounces the Republican Senators in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma who all voted in favor of it. The Republican delegation from PPGP’s four-state region acted inexcusably and sent a clear and concise message that they are not listening to the individuals they represent.
This victory would not have happened without a nationwide groundswell of community outrage, including an extraordinary mobilization of citizens across the Midwest and South. Tens of thousands of Arkansans, Kansans, Missourians, and Oklahomans took part in a nationwide resistance that included:
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200,000 calls to Congress
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2,200 rallies and protests
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1 million signed petitions delivered to members of Congress
The impact and achievement of activists in our network protected access for:
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2.5 million Planned Parenthood patients across the country
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More than 1 million Planned Parenthood Medicaid patients in the U.S.
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Rural Americans who depend on Planned Parenthood as their sole health care provider
“PPGP’s road to defending health care is a long one, and we travel it with dedicated supporters, passionate coalition partners, and committed advocates who know how many American lives are at stake. I am deeply grateful for the PPGP staff that organized and persisted over countless hours to educate our communities and engage them in this important fight. Together, when Planned Parenthood, our partners, and our supporters sound the horn, raise our voices, and resist, our collective power across the country can and will create policies that establish access to health care as a fundamental right for all, not a privilege for few,” Planned Parenthood Great Plains President and CEO, Laura McQuade said.
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