"The Planned Parenthood Action Fund is proud to endorse Barack Obama for president of the United States," said Action Fund president Cecile Richards.  "He is a passionate advocate for women's rights, and has a long and consistent record of standing up for women's health care. As president, he will improve access to quality health care for women, support and protect a woman's right to choose, support comprehensive sex education to keep our young people healthy and safe, and invest in prevention programs, including family planning services and breast cancer screenings." 

On a conference call today with Planned Parenthood Action Fund members from all across the country, Sen. Obama said, "As president I'll make sure women have access to affordable health care, including affordable reproductive services. I thank you for your endorsement and your leadership."

This marks only the second time in Planned Parenthood's history that the Action Fund has made an endorsement in a presidential campaign. Last month, the board of the national Planned Parenthood Action Fund voted unanimously to recommend endorsing Senator Obama. That recommendation was ratified by Planned Parenthood's local action organizations, which represent the interests of all 100 Planned Parenthood affiliates.

• Sen. Obama has received a 100 percent rating [LINK] from the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. As a state senator in Illinois and a U.S. senator, Sen. Obama has a strong voting record when it comes to women's health.
• Sen. Obama is the co-sponsor of multiple pieces of legislation that focus on common sense prevention measures to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies, including the Prevention First Act; the Communities of Color Teen Pregnancy Prevention Act; and the Responsible Education About Life (REAL) Act.
• Sen. Obama supports affordable quality health care, including family planning services, breast cancer screenings, and other preventive health care that Planned Parenthood provides.
• Sen. Obama supports a woman's right to choose and is a co-sponsor of the Freedom of Choice Act, which would codify and protect a woman's right to choose.
• Sen. Obama supports expanding access to affordable birth control and is a co-sponsor of the Prevention Through Affordable Access Act, which would restore affordable birth control to safety-net clinics and college health clinics.
• Sen. Obama is a champion of family planning access for women worldwide and voted to repeal the destructive global gag rule, which bars any U.S. aid for international family planning organizations that perform or promote abortions.
• Sen. Obama supports medically accurate comprehensive sex education to keep our young people healthy and safe, and voted in favor of legislation to fund medically accurate sex education.

In contrast, Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, has a zero percent voting record on women's reproductive health and has stated he wants to overturn Roe v. Wade. In 25 years in Washington, DC, Sen. McCain has cast 125 votes against women's health.

Earlier this year, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund launched its One Million Strong Campaign, a grass-roots program to educate voters about women's health care issues, and turn out one million pro-choice and pro-women's health care voters in the fall. From house parties to online education to one-on-one conversations, the One Million Strong Campaign will educate voters about women's health issues and turnout women voters, a key demographic in the election.  

Planned Parenthood is a trusted health care provider and educator to millions of women and young adults, with a presence in all 50 states. One in four American women visits a Planned Parenthood health center sometime during her lifetime.

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The Planned Parenthood Action Fund exists to ensure that elected officials support policies and programs that help women and their families make responsible choices about family planning and reproductive health. The Planned Parenthood Action Fund is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit membership organization formed as the political and advocacy arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The Action Fund engages in educational end electoral activity including voter education, grassroots organizing, and legislative advocacy. The Action Fund cannot accept corporate or labor union contributions.