Planned Parenthood has launched an initiative with the aid of Tumblr, one of the web’s most popular blogging platforms, in a bid to garner support for the organization in the face of likely federal funding cuts.
Representatives from both groups announced their effort during the South by Southwest festival in Austin this week as the contraceptive and abortion services provider engages supporters to oppose threats to its federal funding from the Trump administration and the Republican-controlled Congress.
Top execs for the groups said in a statement Friday their partnership will seek to garner support from throughout the tech community amid what the authors called a “national health disaster” brought on by Planned Parenthood’s uncertain future under President Trump and any attempt on the government’s part to scuttle the Affordable Care Act that Barack Obama signed into law.
The groups’ initiative will involve spearheading a social media campaign aimed at raising awareness of the Planned Parenthood’s services by encouraging individuals to share their personal stories concerning the organization with the hashtag #TechStandsWithPP.
“Technology has become instrumental in the fight for fairness and equality across a range of issues. It has the power to influence public debate, mobilize communities and — most importantly — offer creative solutions to help people receive better care, no matter where they live or who they are,” their statement said.
“We’ve listened through the life of Tumblr to our community, and this is a consistent issue on Tumblr that people talk about,” said Victoria McCullough, Tumblr’s Social impact and public policy manager, according to Fast Company.
“We have women who’ve talked about how they were helped by Planned Parenthood, and we hear the sad stories about young women who’ve had abortions and the difficulty of getting access, and how health organizations like Planned Parenthood have helped. So we try to really listen to the community when we’re doing these offline activations.”
Tumblr employees donated $80,000 last month to Planned Parenthood, USA Today reported Friday, in addition to a $1 million contribution courtesy of Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg.
“Our organization is under attack by Congress,” said Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards, “and tech leaders are lending support. There is massive grassroots solidarity.”
“It’s time to take action in a show of support for this organization in their moment,” agreed Tumblr CEO David Karp, USA Today reported.
Legislation currently being considered in Congress in lieu of the existing Affordable Care Act include provisions that would cut federal funding for Planned Parenthood.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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