Republican politicians are threatening to shut down the government again — unless federal funding for vital sexual and reproductive health services provided by Planned Parenthood is eliminated.
But the GOP's latest campaign against Planned Parenthood — sparked by discredited and deceptive videos from an extreme anti-abortion group — could be even more disastrous than the last government shutdown.
The last time Republicans lawmakers shut down the federal government to advance a political point, it cost the U.S. economy billions of dollars and as many as 120,000 private sector jobs. With recent economic instability in the US and abroad, now is not the time to gamble with America's economy again.
But this isn't just about politics or the economy. The GOP scheme would also leave thousands of women (and men) without access to screenings for breast and other cancers, family planning and contraception, sexually transmitted disease prevention and treatment, and other vital health services.
Don't let anti-abortion extremists wreck our economy and eliminate vital health services. Tell your US Representative and Senators to reject attempts to shut down the government in order to defund Planned Parenthood.