ChezLeah

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PLANNED PARENTHOOD ACTION FUND
Birth control is NOT abortion:
http://www.ppaction.org/campaign/fr_moveonaf/w3nk8n8228n58jd?source=fr_moveonafe1
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Dear Leah,

Can you imagine living in a place where health insurers won't
cover birth control because it is considered an "abortion"?
Where even rape survivors are denied emergency contraception?
Where you have to worry whether your doctor will deliberately
withhold information from you based on his or her own personal
bias?

Despite a month of protest by Planned Parenthood supporters like
you, the Bush administration is still trying to redefine
"abortion" to include birth control, jeopardizing access to
basic health care for millions of women. The Houston Chronicle
says this could wipe out dozens of state laws that protect
women's reproductive freedom and that protect rape survivors.
And since it's being pushed as a "rule change" it doesn't need
congressional approval.

Last week, Planned Parenthood launched a campaign to ask Health
and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt to respond to the
massive outcry against this proposed rule change. The flood of
comments to Sec. Leavitt's blog forced him to acknowledge the
secret rule the Bush administration is considering -- the first
time any administration official has addressed the issue.

Unfortunately, Sec. Leavitt is still trying to dodge the issue.
Please sign our message to Sec. Leavitt and tell him: "Birth
control is NOT abortion. The Bush administration's proposal to
change the definition of abortion and reduce women's access to
birth control must be stopped." Click here to add your name to
this message: http://www.ppaction.org/campaign/fr_moveonaf/w3nk8n8228n58jd?source=fr_moveonafe1

The best way to beat back this proposal is to continue to show
Sec. Leavitt that there is massive public outrage -- that's why
we've launched this petition jointly with MoveOn. Together,
we'll deliver every signature to Leavitt. You can help add to
our momentum by forwarding this message to friends.

Here's what some others are saying about this proposal:

"The draft regulation would define birth control as abortion ...
it could deny access to critical family planning for women
across the country." -- Letter signed by Senators Barack Obama
and Hillary Clinton and 26 other senators

"[It's] a spectacular act of complicity with the religious right
..." -- RH Reality Check, Information and Analysis for
Reproductive Health

"The birth control pill, the IUD, and emergency contraception
might all become unavailable ... as a result." -- Brigid Riley,
executive director of a Minnesota teen pregnancy prevention
organization

Please, add your voice to the growing outcry over the latest
attack on women's health care from the Bush administration.
http://www.ppaction.org/campaign/fr_moveonaf/w3nk8n8228n58jd?source=fr_moveonafe1

Thank you so much for your help today on behalf of the hundreds
of thousands of people Planned Parenthood health centers serve.

Sincerely,

Cecile Richards, President
Planned Parenthood Action Fund

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