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global gag rule

In January 2017, 22-year-old singer Halsey took serious action after the Women's March by donating $100,000 to Planned Parenthood.

And that wasn't an arbitrary donation amount.

Hours after participating in the Women's March on Washington, Halsey tweeted she would donate $1 to Planned Parenthood for every retweet her pledge to do so received.


Her fans did not disappoint. Within five hours, her post had been retweeted over 100,000 times. She confirmed her pledge was real with this heartfelt tweet:

Halsey is no stranger to standing up for women's rights. She often uses her public platforms to send out bold yet supportive feminist messages.

The singer has also been very public about living with endometriosis and having a miscarriage, so it's no surprise that reproductive health and rights are incredibly important to her.

In the wake of President Donald Trump reinstating the "Global Gag Rule" and likely reinforcing the Hyde Amendment, which bans federal insurance coverage of abortion care, there can't be enough of this public advocacy.

Thankfully, Halsey is far from being the only celebrity standing up for Planned Parenthood.

It's time to turn words into action❗️There are so many steps to take, but my first vow is to support organizations that may have their funding support taken from them in the future by the government. I am making a public donation to Planned Parenthood for the teenage me who made several visits to first a clinic in Santa Barbara and then Los Angeles, CA to educate myself on my sexual health, a subject I had little to no information on because of my sheltered upbringing. I had no idea how things worked down there, and had no idea how to make a plan for them. Planned Parenthood educated me on my body and my reproductive health, so that I could focus on my dreams and using my voice until I knew the timing was right for me to make a plan to have a family. Since then, I have been able to focus wholeheartedly on bringing messages of strength and becoming a voice for others. Without this education, I may have had a different life path. That is just my experience, but I know Planned Parenthood's broader range of services can sometimes be the only medical support low-income families ever see. I know what it's like to need help. I came from a lower- to middle-class family and never grew up with the option of health insurance. I remember having 13 cavities as a teenager, and the best option my parents could come up with was to try and take me to Mexico because we couldn't afford anything in California. I am grateful for and stand in support of Planned Parenthood for giving Katheryn Hudson the knowledge to plan, and for continuing to be a haven for women to learn all options for their future. Now, more than ever, we all need to protect and create safe places for each other. I hope I can help inspire you to make a gift as well, and become a member and an ally. Go to: https://www.plannedparenthood.org to show your support. #wewontgoback

A photo posted by KATY PERRY (@katyperry) on

After Trump won the election with Mike Pence, who consistently voted against reproductive justice, celebrities like Katy Perry, Amy Schumer, and Jamie King pledged large donations to Planned Parenthood in Pence's name.

By Dec. 27, 2016, the organization had received over 300,000 individual donations, 40 times their usual numbers.

Can everyone afford to give such sizable donations? Of course not, but advocacy like this creates a ripple effect that can end up making a huge difference. It's the first step in reclaiming control over our reproductive rights.