Elizabeth Banks …
As a working mom in Hollywood today, I’m lucky to have the resources I need to take care of myself and my son. But that wasn’t always the case.

When I graduated from college over 15 years ago, I was unemployed and uninsured. I turned to the only place that would provide me with health care at a rate I could afford: Planned Parenthood.

What Mitt Romney forgets when he says he wants to “get rid of that” organization is that, for many women, the fight over Planned Parenthood isn’t controversial — it’s about our health.

I recorded a quick video sharing my own Planned Parenthood story — and why I’m proud that my president supports this great organization.

Check it out, then make a few calls to let other women know why it matters to you.

One in five women will rely on Planned Parenthood for medical services like cancer screenings and pap smears at some point in their lives. Seventy-five percent of Planned Parenthood patients have incomes below 150 percent of the poverty line — for many working women, the organization is quite literally a life-saver. It is the leading women’s reproductive health care provider and advocate. It’s there for us when no one else is.

The fight over Planned Parenthood is part of a larger debate about issues that, for most women, are intensely personal decisions: birth control and reproductive health. But now more than ever, it’s important to talk to women about our personal experiences and ask them to step up and get involved — the Republicans who want to take us back to the ’50s need to know the consequences of their actions.

For me, birth control wasn’t originally a tool for preventing pregnancy. It was prescribed to me when hormonally-induced migraines kept me locked up in dark rooms for days. I took it again when I had painful cramps. And when I wanted to have children, I got on the pill again, because it helped regulate my cycle for IVF. Thanks to family planning, today I’m the proud mother of a one-year-old son.

That’s why I’m working hard to re-elect President Obama. He respects and values women. He knows that the government has no business restricting access to affordable birth control, cancer screenings, and the preventive care that Planned Parenthood provides. President Obama has not compromised on women’s rights — he’s fighting for us.

So we’ve got to fight for him. Help spread the word by making a few calls and sharing your story with others about why these issues matter to you:

Why-I-Support-President-Obama

Thanks,

Elizabeth Banks