Amy Poehler: 'Planned Parenthood Is Awesome'

Amy Poehler goes to bat for Planned Parenthood in a fundraising email sent out by the women's health service provider on Monday.

"You know who is awesome? Cecile Richards. She's the president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America," Poehler says. "Every single doctor and nurse and receptionist and volunteer who shows up at a Planned Parenthood health center to make sure that every person who walks through their door gets the care they need."

The message from the "Parks and Recreation" star and former cast member of "Saturday Night Live" comes amid Republican efforts mounting on the state level to defund the women's health organization.

HuffPost's Laura Bassett reports:

Four states have passed legislation defunding Planned Parenthood so far this year, but the family planning provider is not going down without a fight. A federal judge in Indiana sided with Planned Parenthood against the defunding law on Friday, blocking its implementation, and now the legal battle is moving to Kansas.

"Think about your friends, or your sister, or your daughter, son, niece, or nephew. Think about every person out there who has nowhere else to go, nobody else to count on, nobody but Planned Parenthood," writes Poehler to supporters of the organization. "It's up to us to make sure Planned Parenthood is strong enough to protect their rights and their health. Especially because we are having a moment right now when people are trying to come up with new ways to make the lives of all the folks who rely on Planned Parenthood pretty difficult."

Poehler concludes her message by asking readers to join her in "saying that Planned Parenthood is awesome."

Below, full text of the email.

Hi ____,

You know who is awesome? Cecile Richards. She's the president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She's smart, she's tough, and she's totally dedicated to fighting for women's health. And you know who else totally rules? Every single doctor and nurse and receptionist and volunteer who shows up at a Planned Parenthood health center to make sure that every person who walks through their door gets the care they need.

And when it comes to Planned Parenthood, there's one more group of people who are really, truly, no-kidding awesome: the members who give money and time to make it all possible. I should know. I'm one of them.

You should be, too. In fact, you should stop reading this email right now and click here to become a Planned Parenthood Federation of America member like me this very second. Helping Planned Parenthood help women is always a good thing, but right now it's even better because some very generous donors will make a $50 gift to Planned Parenthood Federation of America for every new member who pledges at least $5 per month (but only until June 30, so do it now).

You get these emails, you pay attention — you already know how important Planned Parenthood is. But now is an especially important time to give and become a member. Pledge $5 right now (more if you can afford it!), and you'll generate an immediate $50 gift to Planned Parenthood. There's no better way to have an impact for women's health than being a member — and right now is the best time to give.

Admit it, that's pretty convincing. You know it's time to reach for that credit card and make your donation. But if you're still not sold, think back to the first time you went to a Planned Parenthood health center, scared or broke or confused or hopeful. Think about your friends, or your sister, or your daughter, son, niece, or nephew. Think about every person out there who has nowhere else to go, nobody else to count on, nobody but Planned Parenthood.

It's up to us to make sure Planned Parenthood is strong enough to protect their rights and their health. Especially because we are having a moment right now when people are trying to come up with new ways to make the lives of all the folks who rely on Planned Parenthood pretty difficult. What makes it possible for Planned Parenthood to make a real, irreplaceable difference for those folks are members like me — and hopefully you.

So why are you still reading? You should be click-click-clicking right here to become a member!

Thanks for reading this, thanks for joining or renewing, thanks for sticking with the incredible people at this incredible organization, and thanks for joining me in saying that Planned Parenthood is awesome!

Sincerely,

Amy Poehler

Comments

[WillistonElkoAlum2002]

11:25 PM on 07/03/2011

Amy Poehler just gained a fan.

Like Poehler on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Amy-Poehler/9319465901

Show your support to the only organization fighting for the freedom of American women: Planned Parenthood.

[Sophiedo]

11:23 PM on 06/29/2011

A woman, standing up for women's rights? Way to go Amy!

[john1513]

03:51 PM on 06/29/2011

What is wrong with the Moderators for this article? It takes days for my comments to be posted while others go up right away. I can't help but feel HuffPo believes free speech for some but not all. This is a joke of a liberal machine.

[Querent]

04:59 PM on 06/29/2011

It takes a long time for them to decide whether to inflict your garbage on the rest of us. Unfortunately, they eventually let your irrational religious blabber appear.

[Marisa Stein]

10:56 AM on 06/29/2011

if she thinks it's so awesome let her pay to support it

[middleclassprophet]

11:25 AM on 06/29/2011

By donating to PP and encouraging others to do the same, she actually "is" paying to support it. Which also happens to be the right thing to do.

[Marisa Stein]

08:07 AM on 06/30/2011

then you donate to them, Im not

[Weaziller]

08:53 PM on 06/29/2011

In fact, she's matching donations to PP as we speak: https://secure.ppaction.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=pp_ppaf_poehleremail2
BOOM.

[Marisa Stein]

08:08 AM on 06/30/2011

and I'm supposed to care ?

[YBLogical]

08:59 AM on 06/29/2011

Republicans want you to believe big government has become a nanny state but they are the ones who know what's best for the rest of us. They want to limit access to birth control of any kind. They want to tell women they have no choice but to have babies they may not be able to take care of but not provide any support system. They want to redefine rape. They believe women should just be satisfied being stay at home moms while blasting single moms as if it is their fault there is no male support in their lives. They are spending more time trying to retract women's rights back to the 1930's then they are spending to rebuild the country and job creation. If we are going to keep our country from slipping into the dark ages we must stave of Republican attacks from all sides.

[lemealone]

04:04 PM on 06/29/2011

wow, you know the gop so well you must be one of them!

[YBLogical]

05:57 PM on 06/29/2011

If you think I support those policies then you missed the point of my comment.

[YBLogical]

08:21 AM on 06/29/2011

Republicans want to claim big government has become a nanny state but they seem to be the ones who know what's best for us all. They want to limit access to birth control in any form. They want to tell women to have children they may not be able to take care of but provide no support system if they are in that situation. They want to redefine rape. They believe women should be stay at home moms as well as blast the working single mom as if it's her fault that there is no male support system in her life. They are spending more time focusing on retracting the rights of women back to the 1930's then they are on rebuilding the country and jobs. If we are going to keep this country moving forward instead of slipping into another dark ages, we must do all we can to stave off Republican attacks from all sides.

[iamone3]

01:44 AM on 06/29/2011

Planned Parenthood like so many organizati­ons will have to find news ways to support their work (contribut­ors, volunteers­, etc). Serious cuts in government spending need to be made, responsibl­e adults know that.

[Oneandoneandone]

01:40 PM on 06/29/2011

Responsible adults know that pinching pennies from poor people isn't going to solve the debt crisis. Evenif we cut all funding for poor people (in education, health, housing, food) we would still have an enormous debt that those funds couldn't even begin to cover. We need revenue, revenue that wealthy corporations are making and keeping overseas (where all the jobs are).

[p mantis]

10:52 PM on 06/29/2011

No - that's not what we need and realistic adults know it. What needs to be done is to tax the wealthy and the corporations, end corporate welfare and cut the defence budget - those would be good sensible reasonable solutions to this economic crisis not cutting essential programs the working poor depend on - It's always the powerless and weak and poor who suffer, but then again that's how the gop/teabaggers like it.

[Dunkleberger Karl]

01:32 AM on 06/29/2011

back in 85 the Battle feild was Kansas, there were lots of reasonable peaple, I dont exspect reasonable now! I exspect a second Bloody Kansas!!

[joemondo]

11:26 PM on 06/28/2011

Anti-abortion people looking to defund Planned Parenthood are the most demented creatures imaginable.

Planned Parenthood reduces abortions by reducing unwanted and unplanned pregnancies. Their abortion services are a small part of what they do, and abortions are not funded with federal dollars.

The sad truth is that many - though not all - anti-choice people are also anti birth control, and think women should just have to potentially become pregnant any time they have sex.

[Querent]

11:49 PM on 06/28/2011

This is typical of the clumsy, stumbling, self-defeating Conservatives when they try to set social policy. They just aren't equipped to comprehend the complexity of the reality they try to hide from. Nice avatar, and fanned.

[joemondo]

12:12 AM on 06/29/2011

I wish it were as clumsy as it seems.

I suspect it really is about their opposition to family planning at all.

[Rogo99]

07:30 AM on 06/29/2011

http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2006/03/20/anti_contraception

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/08/31/581256/-Palin:-Anti-Choice,-Anti-Birth-Control

http://www.all.org/

[GlennInVenice]

08:54 PM on 06/28/2011

So many pro-lifers are also fighting gay marriage. It is as though they will not call off the war until they have instituted a homogenous life style for all Americans that meets their vision of an American Theocracy. Hey Christian zealots, mind your own business!

[adcan49]

11:04 PM on 06/28/2011

You said it, Glenn!

[Oneandoneandone]

01:43 PM on 06/29/2011

They want women in the kitchen, men in the office, people of color kept separately, invisible gay people, and of course, gigantic gas-guzzling cars.

[DrMittens]

07:53 PM on 06/28/2011

And I thought I couldn't like Amy Poehler any more. Silly me!

[Sophia Mae Mamakos]

06:43 PM on 06/28/2011

Awesome! Amy Poehler was always a favorite comedian... now she's a role model too. Thanks for bringing more fuel to the fire - we need it!

[ArtsyJane]

06:32 PM on 06/28/2011

Good deal, Amy Poehler. More power to you.

[jhack1990]

06:21 PM on 06/28/2011

In a reasonable way can someone explain how someone can be anti-torture but also in favor of abortions?

[notakochdealer]

06:52 PM on 06/28/2011

Jack how can you be anti-abortion but pro death penalty? Ever occur to you some of those (saved) babies grow up only to be put to death. Ever wonder how or why prisoners ended up in prison? Because maybe they had bad childhoods? And maybe theey had bad childhoods because they were unwanted?

[jhack1990]

09:16 PM on 06/28/2011

You can't compare something that's only "crime" is existing to a person who has made the choice to commit a crime to get them deserving of the death penalty.

People still have free will...something some people forget when it comes to criminals. No one forced those death row inmates to do what they did, they only have themselves to blame. Don't blame a rough childhood for the reason someone does wrong because far more people that had rough childhoods went on to be everyday law abiding citizens then went on to commit crimes.

[lemealone]

10:25 PM on 06/28/2011

we can kill people who might turn out anti-social?

[notakochdealer]

06:53 PM on 06/28/2011

oops they

[Tulka2]

06:10 PM on 06/28/2011

Count me in.  I will set my TEVO for any television show Amy is ever in from now to forever.  Bless you, sweet sister.  (Love Parks and Rec, anyway.)