Your gift matters -- so does your voice

Call a week from today. And then keep calling, week after week, until Congress passes health care reform that protects every woman. It's the only way to fight back against the anti-choice extremists driving the debate.

We'll make it easy. Promise.

Dear Friend,

Thank you so much for your recent gift to Planned Parenthood. Your support will help us continue to lead the fight to protect women's access to complete reproductive care, including abortion, as we work with Congress to fix our broken health care system.

We're doing all we can to pressure lawmakers and make sure that health care reform protects every woman — but we can't do it alone. We need dedicated supporters like you to speak out today, and keep on speaking out for women's health. The fact is, we face organized opposition from anti-choice extremists who are doing all they can to hijack health care reform to promote their own agenda.

You've seen them carrying signs and shouting down senators at town hall meetings all summer. You've watched them try to derail the debate on news shows with distortions and outright lies.

Opponents of health care reform — and especially those fighting against women's health — have been well-funded, loud, and aggressive.

That's what we've all witnessed, but what really worries me is what's been going on behind the scenes. Groups that want to defeat health care reform, led by anti-choice extremists who are desperate to use legislation to block women's access to care, have been lobbying Congress for months. And the worst part is that lawmakers are listening.

Recently, the New York Times reported that health care reform could prohibit private insurance companies from covering abortion care — even those that currently do so. Anti-choice extremists aren't just trying to deny uninsured women access to reproductive care — they're fighting to make sure that women whose private plans currently cover abortion care lose their access as well.

Here's the situation we face: right now, senators are hearing a lot more often from opponents of women's health than they are from people like you and me. Make no mistake — Planned Parenthood has been working with legislators day and night to make sure health care reform improves access and quality of care for women everywhere. But when it comes to hearing from regular people — the contact with voters that matters most to members of Congress — we're getting out-hustled, outnumbered, and just plain drowned out.

We can't let this happen. Women across the country are counting on us. Even though you may already have called, e-mailed, or written your senators — we need you to do it again. Call your senators today and tell them to stand up for women's health. And this is the important part: we need you to commit to keeping up our side of the debate by calling once a week until health care reform that protects women is a reality.

I realize that asking you to call once a week is a lot. But we won't get a second chance at this. I know that I don't have to tell you how dangerous the current situation is for women. If lawmakers hear so much from anti-choice zealots, and so little from the majority of us who want to fix our broken system to preserve and expand access to complete reproductive care, women's health is severely threatened.

The only way to fight back against the anti-choice extremists who are trying to hijack health care reform is to keep calling, week after week. My colleagues at Planned Parenthood are making it as easy for you as possible. We'll even send you a text reminder that will walk you through the call — it's easy!

You know as well as I do that our opponents are riled up and extremely motivated. They know that health care reform legislation will help define the future of women's health care for a generation or more. They won't let up until the final vote is cast — so we can't, either. Please, make the call today — and then keep calling 'til we get it done.

Thank you for standing strong with us.