A recent profile in Buzzfeed claims that Wen, who did some groundbreaking work as Baltimore's health commissioner, is trying to emphasize Planned Parenthood's mission to provide health care rather than emphasize its political activities. Wen pushed back hard on Twitter, arguing that the headline misconstrued her vision. "Our core mission is providing, protecting and expanding access to abortion and reproductive health care. We will never back down from that fight—it’s a fundamental human right and women’s lives are at stake," she wrote.
Both messages—the one about women's health care being health care and the one about her committing to the political fight —came through during our brief phone conversation shortly before her luncheon at the Westin.
It's a rough time to run Planned Parenthood. Though the House is dominated by pro-choice Democrats, the Trump administration's attacks on women's health have been severe and sustained. In February Trump instituted a "gag rule," which pulled federal funding from clinics, such as Planned Parenthood, that refer patients for abortions. A couple of weeks ago, after a suit brought by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, a Yakima judge blocked the move.
Still, Wen underscored the potential impact in Washington if the president wins the suit. "In Washington, we operate 56% of the Title X centers here. We serve 88% of the total Title X patients—more than 76,000 people in the state," she said. "In many communities, we are the only provider of affordable reproductive health care that specializes in the type of care that women and their families need."
If the courts uphold Trump's gag rule, the impacts on access to basic cancer screenings, check-ups, STI tests, and abortions would be profound. It would also directly contravene the wishes of millions of Americans.
Wen proudly (telephonically) waved around the results of the latest Planned Parenthood annual report, which show that, nationally, the clinics provide health care to 2.4 million people last year.
"The American people want more health care and not less," Wen said. "We saw in the last elections that people in Idaho, Utah, and Nebraska voted for Medicaid expansion. People realize there is a dearth of health care resources, and huge disparities depending on who you are and where you live."
Compared to other states, Washington is pretty good on abortion rights and women's health. While other states have been passing trigger laws that would immediately ban abortion if the Supreme Court ever overturns Roe v. Wade, Washington codified abortion protections in its state law back in 1991.
That's not to say that Washington Republicans aren't going after women's health every single year, or that Washington Democrats aren't letting insider bullshit prevent them from passing mandatory sex ed laws, or that we don't need to do more to protect our clinics from being burned by terrorists, or that Washington couldn't stand to extend more health care access to its most vulnerable populations. But, you know, we're not Georgia.
On Tuesday, Georgia became the sixth state to ban abortions after six weeks, well before many women know they're pregnant. Georgia criminalizes the procedure, so that people who get abortions could face life in prison or the death penalty. Women who miscarry will be subject to investigations for possible second-degree murder. Other states passing or considering similar bans include Alabama, Iowa, Florida, Kentucky, Iowa, Ohio, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Tennessee.
With a 5-4 conservative majority on the Supreme Court, the fear is one or parts of those bills will be approved, which would chip away at or effectively overturn Roe vs. Wade.
Wen says these proposals will "harm women’s health for generations to come," noting that the states trying to limit access to health care are the same states with the direst health care outcomes. Louisiana and Georgia, for example, have the worst maternal mortality rates in the country. Alabama and Georgia have some of the highest cervical cancer rates. "The last thing they need is for health care to be taken away," Wen said. "We will fight using every avenue—the courts, the state Legislatures, and the ballot box."
"Women are paying attention," Wen added. "People are paying attention. We’re paying attention to who is here to protect women’s health and who is here to take it away."
