Requests for IUDs are up 900% at Planned Parenthood
Paul Ryan has warned Americans that he plans to defund Planned Parenthood, and women everywhere are listening.
Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards appeared on CNN Monday to discuss the upcoming GOP onslaught on reproductive rights. According to Richards, the organization has seen a "900 percent increase in women trying to get into Planned Parenthood to get an IUD.”
"They’re desperately concerned that they might lose their access to healthcare and they know that Planned Parenthood is the place that can provide it," Richards said.
IUDs (intrauterine devices) are tiny devices implanted in women's uteruses that function as a kind of long term birth control. The hormones in the device can prevent fertilization of the egg.
Rated 99.9 percent effective, devices can last as up to 12 years. At Planned Parenthood, the devices currently cost anywhere from $0 to $1,000.
According to Richards, many women are terrified that they'll lose access to this and other crucial forms of birth control, whether through defunding Planned Parenthood or repealing Obamacare.
On Thursday last week, Ryan announced that he planned to defund Planned Parenthood as part of his larger vision to repeal and replace Obamacare. Though Ryan and other GOP leaders have been pushing to defund Planned Parenthood for years, two Republican Senators, Susan Collins of Maine and Barbara Lisa Murkowski of Alaska won't commit to repealing Obamacare if defunding Planned Parenthood is part of the package.
"What we’re talking about now, in fact, and what Paul Ryan—Speaker Ryan—said the other day is now they’re going to end access to Planned Parenthood preventive care," Richards said. "That means birth control services, cancer screenings, well-woman visits. We provide healthcare to 2.5 million people every single year and that healthcare is now at risk."
In order for Republicans to successfully repeal Obamacare, they'll need 52 votes. Senator Rand Paul has already expressed opposition to repealing and replacing Obamacare if it adds to the budget. If Murkowski, Collins and Paul all vote no, the Republicans will lack the necessary majority to get their bill through.
"Women in this country are absolutely not going without a fight and the majority is with us," Richards said.
Heather was the Web Trends reporter at Mashable NYC. Prior to joining Mashable, Heather wrote regularly for UPROXX and GOOD Magazine, was published in The Daily Dot and VICE, and had her work featured in Entertainment Weekly, Jezebel, Mic, and Gawker. She loves small terrible dogs and responsible driving. Follow her on Twitter @wear_a_helmet.
