This past week, something truly amazing happened: Maryland became the first state to put an effective plan in place to protect Planned Parenthood from any federal cuts it may receive. Meaning if Trump cuts the Planned Parenthood budget, the passing of this law will allow Maryland to use allocated money to replace it.
This would also allow Planned Parenthood to continue providing cancer screenings, birth control, STD tests, and family planning to the many Americans who depend on these services. In a time where it seems that women’s rights are regularly under attack, it is comforting to know that at least one organization has our back, and will continue to do so with the new law passed in Maryland.
Back in January at the Women’s March on Washington, we heard from many women who are still continuing the fight, and were proposing plans, as well as offering hope for what we would do in the coming months now that Donald Trump was indeed president. Cecile Richard, the President of Planned Parenthood, speaks words that are truer than ever. As she took the podium she vowed “Today we are here to deliver a message. We will not take this lying down. And we will not go back. For the majority of people in this country Planned Parenthood is not the problem it is the solution…and my pledge today is our doors stay open”. Surely she did not know what was to come in the following months but she could imagine the hardship her organization would face.
While Maryland is the first state to do this, I am sure they will not be the last. The passing of this law shows that with advocacy for rights comes change. It is empowering to know that while we may not be able to control the federal laws being passed, that we can combat them on our own with the help of the strong, like minded people who surround us.
On Thursday, Maryland made history. I am hopeful that this will only be the beginning. Let Maryland’s hard work pave the way for all other states to follow suit, because it is possible. Even without the approval of the state’s governor.