public health crisis or political opportunity?

Zika is a global public health crisis – and it has landed in the United States.

Children born to women who contract the Zika virus while pregnant are at risk of developing a birth defect known as microcephaly, which results in debilitating, lifelong physical and mental disabilities.

Over 8000 babies born in Brazil since the Zika outbreak started were born with microcephaly. We can’t let that happen here. We need to fight this head-on, and one critical element of that fight is making sure women have access to contraception and family planning services.

Instead of seeing a crisis, anti-choice extremists in Congress see a political opportunity. Republican leaders are pushing a thoroughly inadequate response to Zika that specifically bars Planned Parenthood – the nation’s largest family planning service provider – from receiving any funds to provide contraception.

In other words, Republicans are willing to put hatred of Planned Parenthood above the health and wellbeing of women and children.

I’m going to keep fighting against this nonsensical approach. Thank you for standing with me.

Ron