ITHACA, N.Y. – Planned Parenthood supporters will gather in Ithaca at sunset on Friday as part of a national rally against funding cuts within President Trump’s proposed healthcare plan.
The Pink the Night Out rally will be one of many rallies held throughout the country this week, as a way to protest potential cuts to Planned Parenthood funding under the American Health Care Act of 2017.
Planned Parenthood stated in a press release on Wednesday that the sunset rally is a means to demand senators to make efforts to protect access to care at Planned Parenthood. The release expressed concern that the Senate is working behind closed doors as they work out legislation.
“The Senate is working in secret, refusing to hold any hearings or listen to health care experts, on legislation that would be devastating for millions,” the release read.“Planned Parenthood supporters aren’t going to sit silently while the Senate and other D.C. politicians negotiate away their access to health care.”
Funding cuts under the AHCA would potentially affect access to Planned Parenthood for preventative care services such as birth control, cancer screenings, STD testing and treatment, and maternity care.
Planned Parenthood stated that over 100,000 Medicaid recipients rely on their services annually – advocates have voiced concern for possible rollback Medicaid coverage, increased costs for millions and discrimination within insurance companies.
“More than half of Planned Parenthood health centers are in rural or medically underserved areas, meaning that without us, many patients would literally have nowhere else to turn,” read the release.
The Pink the Night Out sunset rally will take place outside Planned Parenthood at 620 W. Seneca Street from 8 – 9 p.m on June 23.