North Dakota Planned Parenthood Advocate

Wowza! Without coverage my birth control expences would be how much?

Politicians like Rick Santorum say that this birth control issue isn't a big deal because it "costs just few dollars." REALITY CHECK! Enter your age and contraceptive of choice and find out how much you could expect to pay for birth control through the average age of menopause.  What do you think? Is Rick Santorum right?

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, most health insurance plans will cover women’s preventive services, including contraception, without charging a co-pay or deductible. 

Unfortunately, this fight continues in Congress. One bill, the Rubio-Manchin bill, would allow any business or corporation, on the basis of personal religious belief or moral conviction, to take away birth control coverage from their employees. Another bill, sponsored by Senator Blunt (R-MO), would drastically undermine women’s health and allow any employer or health plan to refuse to cover any health care service they object to on religious or moral grounds.

Planned Parenthood will continue to remain vigilant in protecting women’s access to health care at the state and federal levels.

Shame on North Dakota Senator Hoeven!

How out of touch can he and his colleagues be?

Despite overwhelming public support for birth control, anti-contraception lawmakers aren't backing down — in fact, they're getting even more extreme. Senator Hoeven is co-sponsor of legislation that would let any employer deny women coverage for birth control, and similar legislation has been introduced in the House.

Tell Hoeven enough is enough!

Urgent: Protect access to birth control for ALL women

A new coalition has formed to fend off the seemingly endless on slot of attacks on women’s health by conservatives in Congress. This coalition is a partnership of women’s organizations unifying because they believe all women should have access to birth control – without a co-pay, no matter where they work. Today, they are calling on women in North Dakota to contact Senator Conrad and ask him to protect women’s health and access to birth control by voting against the Blunt Amendment. Dial his DC office at(202) 224-2043. It is a simple yet powerful action you can take to  preserve access to birth control for all women.

 

The following is a press release from the Coalition to Protect Women’s Health Care regarding the Blunt Amendment.

 

Here's what you can do right now: call Senator Conrad and urge him to stand up for women's health

A message from Cecile Richards Planned Parenthood Federation of America President:

We need your voice to defend access to birth control for millions of Americans. Call Senator Conrad at 202-730-9001 and urge him to stand up for women by protecting access to no-cost birth control.

Over the last few days, there's been an outrageous assault on women's health and access to no-cost birth control. It's almost hard to believe that something as basic and overwhelmingly popular as birth control has come under fire from anti-women's health activists and their allies in Congress.

The reality is all women deserve access to no-cost birth control, with no co-pays and no additional hurdles, no matter where they work. It shouldn't even be a question. It's basic health care, and should be decided by you and your doctor — not by your boss. But in the last week, anti-women's health politicians have gotten more and more extreme in their attacks on a new rule that protects women's access to insurance coverage for birth control. They want to take away women's access to affordable health care — and they think you won't do anything about it.

They're wrong — about birth control, and about you. Here's what you can do right now: call Senator Conrad at 202-730-9001 and urge him to stand up for women's health.

President Obama Reaffirms Commitment to Women’s Access to Birth Control; Fight Continues in Congress

In the face of an outrageous assault on women’s health, the Obama administration has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring all women will have access to birth control coverage, with no costly co-pays and no additional hurdles, no matter where they work.

“Our number one concern is making sure women have access to basic health care, including access to contraception, and Obama’s announcement today means that all women will have that access no matter where they work or who their employer is,” said Sarah Stoesz, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota (PPMNS). “The compliance mechanism does not compromise a woman’s ability to access critical birth control benefits.”

'Empowering a New Generation of Women Leaders'

Because we support women's leadership we proudly share the following announcement.

Do you know a woman who deserves the opportunity to have her innate leadership recognized, mentored, and inspired?

The Tri-College NEW (National Education for Women's) Leadership Development Institute will be held June 2-6, 2012 at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN.  The intensive five-day residential program is designed to provide leadership training, inspiration, and support for women in the upper Midwest who do not have extensive leadership experience. There is particular emphasis on recruiting women from groups that have typically been underrepresented voices in the political process.

What Happens Next is up to you!

Robert Walker’s piece Halt the Assault paints a clear picture of the ludicrous battering legislatures across the country have layered on womens health. He writes “in a world gone mad, it shouldn't surprise that North Dakota is now requiring that the health education provided in the state include information on the benefits of abstinence within marriage, not just before marriage.”

Statement of Sarah Stoesz, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, on the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s Decision to Reinstate Funding for Breast Cancer Screenings at Planned Parenthood Health Centers Nationwide

The outpouring of support for women in need of lifesaving breast cancer screening this week has been astonishing and is a testament to our nation's compassion and sincerity.

This show of support underscores what a critical resource Planned Parenthood is in the fight to detect and prevent breast cancer.  We were so heartened by the calls and emails we received from people in our region, who made it clear that they did not like to see politics playing a role in women’s health care. 

Komen Foundation Ends Funding for Breast Cancer Screenings After Years of Political Pressure

After facing pressure from anti-women's health political organizations, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation has announced that it is ending future funding for lifesaving breast cancer screenings and breast health education at Planned Parenthood health centers.

At immediate risk are low-income women, many located in rural and underserved communities, served by 19 Planned Parenthood programs funded by the Komen Foundation. This funding has enabled designated Planned Parenthood health centers to provide women with breast health education, screenings, and referrals for mammograms — lifesaving care for women where Planned Parenthood is their only source of health care.

Planned Parenthood Statement on Komen Foundation Succumbing to Political Pressure and Ending Breast Cancer Prevention Funding

Planned Parenthood today expressed deep disappointment in response to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation’s decision to stop funding breast cancer prevention, screenings, and education at Planned Parenthood health centers. Anti-women’s health groups have repeatedly targeted and boycotted the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation for partnering with Planned Parenthood to provide these lifesaving cancer screenings and news articles suggest that the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation ultimately succumbed to these pressures.

“As a health care provider to more than 60,000 women in our community, Planned Parenthood is trusted a leader in helping women identify breast cancer early. Women are deeply alarmed that the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation appears to have succumbed to political pressure from a vocal minority”, said Sarah Stoesz, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota (PPMNS). “For years, opponents of women’s health have waged an aggressive pressure campaign aimed at the Susan G. Komen Foundation at the expense of women’s health and lives.”