Doctors forced to choose

The numbers are clear: the vast majority of Americans support freedom of choice when it comes to reproductive health care.

Because Republican leadership knows they're losing the debate, they're resorting to more and more backhanded ways to undermine Roe v. Wade.

The most recent: a Trump administration "gag rule" that prevents providers at any clinic receiving Title X funds from discussing abortion with patients.

This means that if a patient's life was in imminent danger from a pregnancy, a doctor would be forbidden from giving life-saving medical advice – all so Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump can placate far-right radicals.

Now, forced to choose between federal funding and providing professional, ethically-sound medical care, Planned Parenthood has announced its withdrawal from receiving funding under Title X.

Here's what this means: millions of Americans will be forced to delay or skip essential treatment or health care, either because they can't afford it or simply because they don't have access.

Congressional Republicans and the Trump administration consider this a victory.

This isn't just about reproductive freedom. This is about Congressional Republicans' willingness to interfere with the choices we make about our medical care – some of the most critical and personal decisions we make in our lives – in order to score a political victory.

I will always fight as hard as I can to safeguard access to critical reproductive health care services. While Trump's gag rule is a tragic shock, our movement can't let it slow us down. We have to step up our efforts to take back the Senate and the White House in 2020 and elect progressive, pro-choice candidates that will get our country back on track.

We can do this. We've got history on our side. We've got the law on our side. And we've got the people on our side.

Ron