Recently there’s been a lot of talk from the current administration about repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act. Even if you oppose the ACA, I urge you to look critically at the proposed American Health Care Act. The plan that the current administration is proposing is an attack on everyone.
This plan includes defunding Planned Parenthood for one year, which would have detrimental effects on many people in the United States. Not only will it make it more difficult for people to obtain safe and legal abortions, but it will also reduce the number of people that have access to contraceptives, STI testing and the family planning services that Planned Parenthood provides.
Although the proposed healthcare plan affects only the United States, the Trump Administration is also attacking reproductive rights abroad in the form of the Global Gag Rule. The Global Gag Rule cut funding to organizations in other countries that advocate for the decriminalization of abortions or that provide abortion referrals. I believe that every person should have access to reproductive healthcare, regardless of where they live in the world. An attack on reproductive rights anywhere is an attack on reproductive rights everywhere.
I urge all of you to call your representatives and let them know that you oppose the proposed healthcare plan. In addition, I encourage you all to support the Global HER Act, which is aimed at overturning the Global Gag Rule. If you want to get more involved with the Global HER Act, look for the #Fight4HER campaign at Colorado State University and other campuses across the nation. Trump may say that no one cares about women as much as he does, but the legislation he supports clearly disproves that.