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For Immediate Release
February, 08 2012, 03:55pm EDT
Contact:
Email: media@reproductivefreedomforall.org
NARAL Pro-Choice America Calls on Congress to Back Off Attacks on Insurance Coverage of Birth Control
Win for Women: Defend Birth Control for the 99 Percent includes calls, ads, grassroots mobilization, and online and social-media ads
WASHINGTON
NARAL Pro-Choice America today launched a multifaceted nationwide mobilization campaign to galvanize public support for the Obama administration's policy ensuring insurance coverage of contraception for millions of Americans.
Win for Women: Defend Birth Control for the 99 Percent will call on anti-contraception politicians and their allies to stand down from their efforts to take way the biggest advancement for women's access to contraception in a generation. The campaign builds on the momentum from last week's successful grassroots effort to convince the Susan G. Komen Foundation to reverse its decision denying grants to Planned Parenthood. In addition, two new polls show strong public support for the policy.
"In the last week, we have seen what happens when political interference blocks women from getting basic health care," Keenan said. "Now we must build on this momentum and fight to make sure Congress does not allow employers to deny coverage of contraception to their employees. We are fighting to win for women across the country, including nurses, administrative staff, janitors, and college instructors who are most at risk of losing out on contraceptive coverage if these politicians and groups succeed."
Keenan said the campaign name comes from the fact that 99 percent of American women, including 98 percent of Catholic women, use contraception. She said her organization will spend approximately $14,000 to connect with more than 170,000 of its members in six states (MA, ME, LA, IL, FL, VA) with paid calls. The calls, which begin today, call activists to urge their senators to stand with women by opposing efforts to take away contraceptive coverage, including a bill introduced last week by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).
NARAL Pro-Choice America is backing up the member mobilization with a $45,000 online ad and recruitment plan. The organization is running ads on Facebook and Google to raise the visibility of the threat to birth control among women ages 18 to 40. The organization, in partnership with is state affiliate network, also will leverage the power of its 550,000-strong email network and social media to channel messages to Congress and counter the anti-contraception groups.
"We want to make sure women of all religious backgrounds are able to make the health-care decisions that are best for them and their families," Keenan said. "No one is being asked to prescribe or take birth control. Some politicians and their allies are using the debate around religious liberty to distract from their real goal: opposition to birth control, one of the many fronts in their ongoing War on Women's Health. We will fight to make sure that women can get birth-control coverage without asking their bosses for permission.
Links to polls on contraception that show strong public support for the coverage policy:
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/files/PPFA/PPP_Polling_Memo_on_Birth_Control_Benefit_020712.pdf
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/catholics-support-white-house-contraception-mandate/2012/02/07/gIQAXXu1wQ_story.html
For over 50 years, Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America) has fought to protect and advance reproductive freedom at the federal and state levels—including access to abortion care, birth control, pregnancy and post-partum care, and paid family leave—for everybody. Reproductive Freedom for All is powered by its more than 4 million members from every state and congressional district in the country, representing the 8 in 10 Americans who support legal abortion.
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