As the Planned Parenthood defunding debate rages on, “Parks and Recreation” star Amy Poehler has come to the defense of the embattled organization. The Huffington Post reports that Poehler wrote a fundraising letter released on Monday, praising Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards as “smart,” “tough,” and “totally dedicated to fighting for women’s health.”
Poehler continued to lavish praise on the group, saying that “Every single doctor and nurse and receptionist and volunteer who shows up at a Planned Parenthood health center” is “totally awesome.” (Pregnant Tina Fey would like ‘a bit of a breather’ before next season of ‘30 Rock’)
Calling for donations “to make sure Planned Parenthood is strong enough to protect [patients’] rights and their health,” the former SNL star even commented on recent efforts by pro-life politicians to defund the organization. Poehler stressed that supporting Planned Parenthood is particularly important “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.”
While defunding Planned Parenthood never made its way through Congress, multiple states have struck the group’s funding from their budgets. Planned Parenthood is currently suing Indiana and Kansas to recapture the lost funds.