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From a very young age, Lizz Winstead used Planned Parenthood for its reproductive and women’s health-care services.
“It helped me through a very hard time,” the comedian says. Now, the co-creator of and former head writer for The Daily Show wants to help the agency through its own hard time. Her comedy tour, Planned Parenthood: I’m Here for You, kicked off earlier this month and stops in Pittsburgh on July 14 to benefit Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania.
“To watch women’s health care be used as a political pawn and bargaining chip in our system is what drove me over the brink,” Winstead says by phone from her home in Minneapolis, Minn. “The thing for me that drives me craziest is, if you want to reduce the number of abortions in the country, why do you think it’s a good idea to eliminate all access to birth control?”
Congressional conservatives have long targeted Planned Parenthood, and this year attempted to federally defund it. But even more troubling, the comedian says, is what’s happening at the state level. In Pennsylvania, for example, the state senate is considering a bill that would reclassify abortion facilities as “ambulatory surgical facilities,” requiring costly upgrades that women’s-health advocates say would shut down safe and well-run organizations.
“People need to look at who they elect in the state houses. This is where the legislation is coming down,” Winstead says. “They seem to be overreaching and making draconian legislation.”
Winstead, who also co-created Air America Radio, hopes the tour, featuring her razor wit and political satire, will raise funds and awareness for local Planned Parenthoods. And along the way, she’s recording the stories of women who have used the group’s services and sharing them publicly.
“It makes those people who protest see someone — whether it’s a mom, sister or someone they work with — before they make accusations,” she says.
And the accusations, she notes, are misguided and ill-informed; abortion accounts for just 3 percent of Planned Parenthood’s services.
“Ninety-seven percent of what they do is finding ways to make sure women don’t have to terminate a pregnancy,” Winstead says. “If I could get anything in my life to work 97 percent of the time … I’d be thrilled.”
Planned Parenthood: I’m Here for You with Lizz Winstead, hosted by John McIntire and featuring Gab Bonesso. 7 p.m. Thu., July 14. Bricolage, 937 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $50. 412-434-8957 x118.
This article appears in Jul 14-20, 2011.
Lets have a word about Planned Parenthood
1. why is our tax money going into this place (You know they bill heath care as well folks)
2.Back in the day Planned Parenthood was made to get rid of Black folks Kids (Thats a fact that you can look up)
soooo I dont see a need to support them on just that alone should keep them out of our pockets even if they change the page. You can go to upmc west penn and others and get the same care for free as well
but do you know what would work best in the first place
KEEP YOUR LEGS CLOSED UNTILL YOU ARE READY TO HAVE AND SUPPORT YOUR KIDS !!! that way we have no need for this %^&*() place
Ignorance. ^GMG