(San Francisco, CA, December 3, 2015)–The U.S. Senate will vote today on a budget reconciliation bill that includes a measure to defund Planned Parenthood and prevent low-income patients—including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender—from getting basic preventive health care at Planned Parenthood health centers across the country. It would also repeal essential aspects of the Affordable Care Act. This is only the latest in a series of attacks on Planned Parenthood by radical anti-abortion operatives and extremist politicians.

Statement by National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) Executive Director Kate Kendell, Esq.:

“NCLR stands with Planned Parenthood and other besieged health care providers working to give members of our community the care they need. It is beyond comprehension that not even a week after the murders and wounding of a dozen people at a Planned Parenthood health center in Colorado, politicians would redouble their crusade against this trusted care provider. All people have the fundamental right to make decisions about their health, families and futures, and to access the care they need to make that right a reality.

Planned Parenthood health centers and other reproductive health care clinics, in addition to providing essential family planning and abortion care, are often the only source of care for many in underserved and vulnerable communities. For many LGBTQ people, who experience stigma and discrimination in the health care system, the specially trained staff and tailored programs—including services for transgender people—are a lifeline.

As an organization committed to securing the rights of LGBTQ people, the fight for full reproductive freedom is our fight too.”