Just hours after the sparkling silver crown was placed on Kira Kazantsev's head, signifying her triumph at this year's Miss America pageant, she was the subject of a swarm of internet backlash. Why? Kazantsev interned at a Planned Parenthood affiliate in Hempstead, New York last year. And as conservatives tend to do with any hot-button issue, they immediately took to Twitter to express their displeasure that the country's freshly crowned Miss America has worked with the organization.
Planned Parenthood has garnered nationwide recognition (and kickback) for providing reproductive health care to women. And despite what anti-abortion advocates would have you believe, abortion care accounts for only three percent of Planned Parenthood's services. But these low numbers haven't stopped conservatives from trying to derail the organization with their pursuit to cut off funding and regularly setting up camp outside their clinics to engage in protests.
To respond to these disgruntled tweeters, Eric Ferrero, Planned Parenthood Vice President for Communications, spoke out in support of Kazanstev's work with the organization through a post on The Daily Beast. Ferreo makes an important point: With pro-life supporters constantly trying to discredit Planned Parenthood, having a figurehead like Kazantsev will only serve to further their mission—to provide all-encompassing reproductive health care and to encourage a greater understanding of women's sexual health through education and research, regardless of the many who claim otherwise.
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