Celebrities can draw public attention to causes the way the sound of a can openers attract cats. Elizabeth Taylor stood up for AIDS awareness, Bob Geldof raised awareness of world hunger issues and many other luminaries have shined their star-powered lights on their causes of concern. The latest—and a most welcome addition to the list—is Amy Poehler, who lends her name to a fund-raising letter pointing out the importance of Planned Parenthood.
Poehler, who describes Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards as “awesome,” plus smart, tough and “totally dedicated to fighting for women's health,” asks readers to think about their first experience with the organization, when they were “scared or broke or confused or hopeful,” and to think about the people who have “nowhere else to go, nobody else to count on but Planned Parenthood.” She urges help “especially 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.” Jezebel ran the letter in its entirety; you can read it here.
True, the Planned Parenthood situation has been pretty depressing lately, but Amy Poehler, true to form, just brought us a smile.