Planned Parenthood of Arkansas’s political affiliate, PP Voters of Arkansas, has announced its endorsement of Hillary Clinton for president. This follows a national endorsement by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

Clinton has forthrightly defended the work of Planned Parenthood on the campaign trail, which probably strikes many in Arkansas as strange, given the abuse heaped on the organization by Arkansas politicians. But national polls show that the majority of voters understand the value of the comprehensive health services provided by Planned Parenthood, particularly to women. A majority also still favors the availability of legal abortion. An even bigger number favors the contraceptive services Planned Parenthood provides that PREVENT the need for abortion.

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Clinton won’t carry Arkansas. But she intends to run without shying away from this bedrock health issue and that’s a good thing. It is a good thing, too, for Planned Parenthood and those who support them to stand up and be counted, lest the shouters on the other side be thought to speak for everyone on women’s medical autonomy.

Said Planned Parenthood Voters of Arkansas, through a statement by Suzanne de Baca, president of the organization and leader of the regional Planned Parenthood affiliate that operates two clinics in Arkansas:

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“In Arkansas, we will not take a back seat in this election– there’s too much at stake. It’s clear that reproductive health and rights are on the ballot in 2016. Every single Republican has pledged to block patients from accessing essential care at Planned Parenthood, to ban abortion, and roll back insurance coverage for birth control. In Arkansas, 3,348 people relied on Planned Parenthood last year for essential, life-saving care. In this election, the health care for millions – particularly young women and men, communities of color, low-income women, and the LGBT community, all of whom are hit the hardest by these recent attacks on reproductive health care – is at stake.

We don’t just need someone who can defend against these relentless attacks – we need a champion who can continue to move the needle forward. Secretary Clinton has been a steadfast champion her whole career – fighting to not only protect but also expand access to reproductive health care across the country and the world. As her decades-long legislative and advocacy record shows, she has made access to health care a driving issue throughout her political career. There is no greater champion.”

…. Millions of Americans – including 3,348 people in Arkansas – rely on Planned Parenthood for essential reproductive health care, millions of women access birth control through their health insurance, and nearly one-third of women will have an abortion in her lifetime. Every single Republican candidate has pledged to eliminate all three.

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