Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Following Tumultuous Year, Planned Parenthood Announces Big Spending Plans For 2020 Elections
CBS News: Planned Parenthood Announces Record-High Election Spend Today Ahead Of 2020
Planned Parenthood announced on Wednesday it plans to spend at least $45 million ahead of the 2020 elections, the most it has ever spent during an election cycle. The push comes as abortion rights are under assault across the Midwest and South, with state lawmakers passing abortion bans and restrictions aimed at capturing the attention of the Supreme Court. The investment intends to fund large-scale grassroots programs and canvassing, digital, television, radio and mail programs in battleground states across the country, according to a press release. (Smith, 10/9)
NPR: With Abortion Rights On The Line, Planned Parenthood Announces 2020 Push
The first priority for 2020 is to unseat President Trump. The group also will work to help Democrats take over the U.S. Senate, maintain Democratic control in the House, and promote candidates in state-level races who support abortion rights, Robinson said. The group is targeting 5 million voters nationwide, with a focus on nine key states: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. (McCammon, 10/9)
CNN: Planned Parenthood Launches $45 Million Program To Elect Candidates Backing Reproductive Rights
"Who we elect will determine our access to birth control, cancer screenings, sex education, abortion access and more," said Kelley Robinson, executive director of Planned Parenthood Votes, in a statement. "That's why Planned Parenthood Votes will use every tool at our disposal to hit the pavement, flood the airwaves, and elect reproductive rights champions up and down the ballot," she added. "We know this is a fight we can win." (Kelly, 10/9)
The Hill: Planned Parenthood Charges Into 2020 After Year Of Setbacks
But the past year has raised questions about whether Planned Parenthood can enter 2020 with the same firepower it brought to the 2018 midterms, when it helped elect what Democrats describe as the first ever “pro-choice” majority in the House. In 2019 alone, Planned Parenthood’s board of directors fired its president and engaged in a public dispute over the terms of her departure; its health centers lost millions of dollars in federal family planning funding under a new rule issued by the Trump administration; and it fought to keep open the last remaining abortion clinic in Missouri — a Planned Parenthood affiliate. (Hellmann, 10/10)
In other Planned Parenthood news —
Belleville News-Democrat: Planned Parenthood Clinic ‘Sign Of Desperation’ For Agency, Anti-Abortion Activist Says
Between an iron fence and temporary barricades while holding signs that said “Planned Parenthood hurts women,” “Stop Abortion Now” and “Shut them down,” anti-abortion activists called on Fairview Heights to keep the future Planned Parenthood clinic from opening. The narrow stretch of public right of away next to a drainage ditch did not deter the crowd of hundreds of people who rallied Wednesday outside the new Planned Parenthood clinic in Fairview Heights that will open later this month. (Bustos, 10/9)
