After yesterday’s news confirming that the GOP is planning to strip Planned Parenthood of its funding as a part of their bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Planned Parenthood supporters began flooding Paul Ryan’s office with phone calls protesting the decision. Today, to further their opposition, more than 50 Planned Parenthood Action Fund supporters will attempt to hand-deliver 80,000 petitions to the Speaker of the House expressing their discontent.
The #IStandWithPP supporters will be convening at the Longworth House Office Building at 11:30 a.m. to attempt the delivery. Volunteers are now organizing 300 events in 47 states and 150 cities in the U.S. to communicate to legislators that defunding Planned Parenthood would strip millions of women of access to affordable reproductive health care.
Update, 1/6/2017, 3:30 p.m.: Officials from Planned Parenthood say six security guards were sent to block delivery of the petitions to the House Speaker’s office, and shortly thereafter, Ryan’s office was “conveniently closed.” The petitions were eventually accepted by Representative Gwen Moore (D-Wisconsin).
