“Representative Haugaard’s statement is not only erroneous, but irrelevant to the bill that was under deliberation," said Samantha Spawn, interim executive director for NARAL Pro-Choice South Dakota.
"The reality is that defunding us only hurts people—especially the people who are already the most vulnerable," said Tayler Tucker of Planned Parenthood of Arizona. "It's still too revolutionary of an idea for a woman to own her own body."
The low-wage, often no-benefits work common in the food-service industry compromises laborers' ability to plan or provide for their families, get abortion care, and afford other health services. It's especially difficult for undocumented immigrant workers to advocate for their rights.
This group of pro-choice activists showed up on Saturday because we are tired of these so-called crisis pregnancy centers that continue to lie and shame women and families making important reproductive health-care decisions.
"White Republican legislators are disingenuous," said Cherisse Scott, CEO and founder of SisterReach, a reproductive justice advocacy organization. "They do not care about (people of color's) babies or our lives because our voices and lived experiences are not centered in their decision making or policy crafting."
Duke University was one of a handful of higher-learning institutions to have an abortion loan fund before abortion was legalized across the country. And this alternative funding model lasted for more than 30 years—though not entirely without opposition.
No matter where they’re from or why they’re there, patients at the only health center in Missouri that provides abortion care are greeted by the same things: a group of angry protesters clamoring around the public sidewalk that borders the parking lot and a smiling face to walk with them from door to door.
“Medicaid insurance is for very, very low-income people in our state,” said a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri. By defunding the reproductive health-care provider, legislators would be "taking away care for very low-income patients at Planned Parenthood.”
