Most television programs will spend thousands of dollars in the next few months on marketing to build hype before the Emmys. One show, however, is putting that money to better use, helping an organization whose necessity has been drastically understated by Congress recently.
The CBS comedy “Mom” is foregoing its Emmy campaign and is instead donating $250,000 to Planned Parenthood, creator Chuck Lorre and star Allison Janney announced Thursday.
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The generous donation couldn’t come at a better time as Planned Parenthood has come under under heavy attack from the Republican Party. Earlier this month, the House of Representatives passed a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) which would cut federal funding to Planned Parenthood, raise health care costs for those who benefit from Medicare and Medicaid, and cause millions of people to lose their health care coverage entirely.
The bill is not expected to pass the Senate, which is writing its own ACA replacement bill, according to the New York Times.
.@MomCBS announced they #StandWithPP & will donate their Emmy campaign budget to protect care at Planned Parenthood: https://t.co/EqBpB6pLP6pic.twitter.com/p2jKQ832Gt
— Planned Parenthood (@PPact) May 18, 2017
If either bill passes, millions of women will lose access to healthcare services, which makes fundraising efforts even more crucial.
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“In Los Angeles County alone, we answer approximately 2,000 calls each day from people asking us for help,” Sue Dunlap, President/CEO of Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, said in a statement. “Across the country, millions of women and men are relying on Planned Parenthood health centers for their basic care -- like birth control, life saving cancer screenings and STD testing and treatment.”
“Generous support from our community fuels this work, and we are honored that the team behind “Mom” is launching this campaign at this critical time,” she said.
A number of celebrities have stepped up to show support for Planned Parenthood in recent months. Lin-Manuel Miranda organized a “Hamilton” giveaway to raise funds in January.
Read More: Trump Administration Massively Expands Funds Limited by Global Gag Rule
Longtime supporter Lena Dunham made a film titled “100 Years” to celebrate Planned Parenthood’s centennial and the women who fought for safe reproductive health care.
Director Joss Whedon produced a short film detailing what life would be like without Planned Parenthood.
The ACA repeal is part of a broader effort to limit access to abortion services around the world. Though the US does not provide funding for abortion to any part of the world, the “global gag rule” cuts international funding to any healthcare provider that mentions the word “abortion” to its patients, regardless of the legality of the procedure in the country or if the clinic even provides it.
A total of $8.8 billion in funding is set to be taken away from healthcare clinics that offer countless other life-saving services.
Planned Parenthood received $553.7 million in government funding from 2014-2015, according to the most recent report, accounting for approximately half of its budget. The organization received $218.5 million in private donations and $309.2 million from NGOs. About 3% of the services Planned Parenthood provides are abortion-related.
Janney has been a long-time supporter of Planned Parenthood, her mother and grandmother being involved with the organization in her home state of Ohio.
“My mother used to work for Planned Parenthood and I was always aware of their existence,” Janney told CNN in 2012, before “Mom” debuted. “(Those against Planned Parenthood) want to keep women in the dark. They want to take away their right to have access to health care and education about how to take care of their own bodies. It’s evil.”