Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME). Far Right Beside Her is Nicole Clegg, CEO of PPNNE in Red and With Other Members of the Roundtable at Planned Parenthood Headquarters in Downtown Portland This Afternoon.
“Last week, House Republicans advanced one of the most egregious betrayals of the American people in our country’s history, passing a bill that will rip health coverage away from 13.7 million Americans in order to fund massive tax breaks for billionaires and corporations. The bill also specifically prohibits Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood clinics across the country,” said Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME) at a roundtable discussion this afternoon at Planned Parenthood’s headquarters in downtown Portland. “For many Mainers, Planned Parenthood might be their only option for critical services like cancer screenings, pregnancy testing, contraception and routine wellness exams.
“Republicans are targeting Planned Parenthood simply because it provides abortions —– and in the process, they’re going to hurt people, destabilize our health care system and actually cost taxpayers,” Congresswoman Pingree said. “Today we heard from a veteran who relied on Planned Parenthood for decades, a teacher and mother whose early care enabled her to build a career, and a woman whose access to timely treatment preserved her ability to start a family,” said Congresswoman Pingree about Planned Parenthood patients at the Roundtable this afternoon who spoke of their experiences with Planned Parenthood………………If this megabill passes the Senate in its current form, the consequences for our state ——— and for women nationwide———will be catastrophic.”
“The goal of this reconiliation bill is to eliminate access to abortion by forcing Planned Parenthood to shut down. We are being targeted because Planned Parenthood health centers provide abortion care in states where it is legal. This is abortion opponent’s latest attempt to eliminate abortion in the US. Anti-abortion lawmakers are willing to throw Planned Parenthood attempts to the wolves so they can eliminate access to abortion and they’re willing to run up a nearlly $300 mlilion deficit to do it,” Nicole Clegg, CEO of PPNNE said. “Here’s the truth. Planned Parenthood health centers save lives…..Everyone deerves the right to access the health care they need, when they need it, no matter their zip code or how much money they have. It is our hope that lawmakers in Washigton will reject this dangerous proposal and protect access to lifesaving care for Mainers and all Americans,” said Clegg during the Roundtable discussion in Portland thi afternoon.
Around 5:00 pm. this blogger finally succeeded in penetrating the often impossible communications barrier that protects Senator Susan Collins’ (R-ME) staff from her constituents. The question posed to her young staffer was to determine if Senator Collins supports the “Big Billionaires Bill” currently winding its way through the Senate. Katie, a new intern studying at the nearby University of Ricmond and hails from Westchester County in New York where this blogger hails from, said that the Senator is concerned about the elimination of Medicaid funds from the Big Billionaires Bill. BUT, she has not made a decision on how she will vote on the it. As this blogger explained to this political neophyte, the Senator ALWAYS waits until the last minute to announce how she will vote. It’s well established that she is thin-skinned and recoils from the criticism she receives from the side that disagrees with her position. Not making a commitment to either position, the Senator from Caribou is spared that criticism. Although the Senator has said in past years she is pro-choice. her votes defy that claim. Watch how she votes, not what she says.
Mainers and frankly this nation require better than this spineless stand-in for a Senator to represent the people of this State in the US Senate.
The Senator’s Washington, DC office phone number is: 202 – 224-2523 if you want to give her staff a call.