In unusual move, Planned Parenthood endorses Hillary Clinton for president

Printed from: https://newbostonpost.com/2016/01/08/planned-parenthood-endorses-hillary-clinton-for-president/

Planned Parenthood Federation of America, which bills itself as the leading nonprofit provider of reproductive health services in the U.S., officially hopped on the Hillary Clinton bandwagon Thursday.

“There’s no question: Hillary Clinton holds the strongest record of reproductive rights of all presidential contenders in not just this election, but in American history,” the federally funded abortion provider boldly asserted in a statement posted on the website of the organization’s advocacy and political arm. “She doesn’t just support women’s health – she has been a proactive leader on expanding access to women’s health care.”

“In fact, no other 2016 candidate has shown such strong, lifelong commitment to the issues Planned Parenthood Action Fund cares about.”

“We live in an era where access to birth control, abortion, and services at Planned Parenthood are under unprecedented attack,” the organization said in its endorsement. “With so much at stake, we can’t afford to have a president who continues these attacks – or who won’t stand strong and fight against them, no matter what.”

Clinton, the leading contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, took to Twitter to thank Planned Parenthood for the endorsement:

The announcement marked the first time in its almost 100-year history that Planned Parenthood has ever officially endorsed a presidential candidate.

“We’re facing one of the most extreme slate of Republican presidential candidates in recent history,” Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood’s president, said in a separate blog post explaining the reasons for endorsing Clinton. “Every single one has been clear that, if elected, they would work to ban safe legal abortion, block patients from accessing care at Planned Parenthood, and end insurance coverage for birth control,” she said of the Republicans.

Moments after Clinton posted her tweet, Richards tweeted back:

Clinton, who on Thursday night dined with business magnate Warren Buffett at a fundraiser in Los Angeles, returned to New Hampshire on Friday. She began her day in Portsmouth with a rally, joined by American women’s soccer star Abby Wambach and Manhattan actress, screenwriter and activist Lena Dunham.