HOLY CRAP.

Dear Maida,

I had hoped to write to you today with warm wishes and to share our past successes and hopes for the coming year.

Then I heard disturbing news from Colorado, where Planned Parenthood is building a new clinic.

We’ve just learned that the same kind of protesters who try to prevent Planned Parenthood from building new clinics and providing health care at existing clinics across the country have taken things an alarming step further: They are now marching and carrying signs outside the homes of the construction and security workers who are building our new clinic — now, as in during the holidays.

The people we serve count on Planned Parenthood. They count on us for affordable birth control, for accurate sex education, for health care, for so much that many of them just can’t get elsewhere. The fact that so many count on us is why I get up every day, and why I am willing to stand up to people like the anti-choice contingent in Colorado, the groups that badgered local officials to try to shut down our new health center in Aurora, Illinois, or the “40 Days for Life” protesters who picketed clinics across the country this fall.

Planned Parenthood means…

… opening doors in communities that may have no other options available for low-income families seeking health care …

… providing a place to turn when a young person needs information or health services …

… giving millions of low-income women access to affordable birth control …

Everywhere I go, I hear the stories of what Planned Parenthood’s services have meant to people. And when our clinics are the only source of family planning and reproductive health care for so many of the women and families we serve — the importance of your continued support cannot be overstated.

On behalf of our staff, our volunteers, and every person we serve — I thank you for standing with us today and every day.

Best wishes to you and yours for a healthy and safe New Year,

Cecile Richards
President, Planned Parenthood Federation of America

I just got this email today and I am just appalled. Planned Parenthood was the only way I could afford annual exams and birth control when I was in my 20s. Yes, some facilities perform abortions, but they do *SO MUCH* more than that.

I’m pro-choice, and while I don’t think that abortion is the best choice, it’s not up to me to decide for someone else.

But, why would they do this to these families of the construction and security workers – during the holidays?! I mean, C’MON! Don’t they have anything better to do? Like spend time with their families, feeling the love?

Why can’t they do something constructive instead of spreading negativity and unkindness?