With pink signs in their hands and fiery resolve in their hearts, hundreds of people in San Diego, Riverside, and Imperial counties joined forces with millions across the country earlier this month to support Planned Parenthood against a devastating bill that would have repealed the ACA and blocked women from getting care at Planned Parenthood health centers.
We raised up our voices against the worst legislation to face women in a generation. And we won, this round. The unprecedented grassroots energy from the Planned Parenthood community and the larger reproductive rights movement helped stop the ACA repeal bill from even leaving the House.
That, my friends, is the power of pink.
Supporters in our region rallied in San Diego, Riverside, Palm Springs, and El Centro.
Several people spoke at the San Diego event including Planned Parenthood patient Erin Panichkul. “We’re here today to support Planned Parenthood because Planned Parenthood is there to support us every day,” Panichkul told the crowd of 600 supporters. “Every time I needed birth control or emergency contraception, they were there for me. When I was a broke law school student without health insurance, they were there for me.”
The Rev. Madison Shockley, a pastor of the Pilgrim United Church of Christ in Carlsbad, also explained to the crowd what an important role Planned Parenthood plays in our community.
“My faith demands that I stand with Planned Parenthood,” Shockley told the cheering crowd. “Planned Parenthood serves the people my God cares about. Planned Parenthood is doing sacred work.”
We know politicians won’t stop attacking women’s health and Planned Parenthood, despite the clear fact that 75% of Americans support Planned Parenthood. Each time they try, we will be back in full force. We will never stop fighting for the 2.5 million people who count on Planned Parenthood each year.
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