Kathleen Turner Inspires at Planned Parenthood’s 2016 Courageous Voice Breakfast

Portland, Or. Oscar, and Tony, nominated actress Kathleen Turner joined Governor Kate Brown and lent her time and talent to Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon for its largest annual benefit, the 2016 Courageous Voice Breakfast. “I believe passionately in being engaged as a citizen in causes I believe in,” Turner said in her keynote address May 4th in Portland. “One benefit of having achieved a level of success that I have is that I can use my voice to focus attention. And a benefit of having achieved the age that I have is that I have the experience and legitimacy to speak in my own voice, to speak truth as I see it and to not give a damn whether someone might get upset about what I have to say.”

The breakfast also honored Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici as PPAO’s 2016 Pro-Choice Champion for supporting proactive legislation like the 21st Century Women’s Health Act and the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH Woman) Act. In addition, PPAO presented its first-ever Volunteer Excellence Award to Ramsey Tainton, a member of the Lane County Leadership & Advocacy Team who was tragically killed last year in a domestic violence incident.

Mother, actress and blogger Angela Uherbelau helped eradicate shame and stigma by bravely sharing her personal story, “What Happened When I Started Talking Publicly About My Abortion.” She told the audience: “At 20, I couldn’t have imagined speaking publicly about my private misery. Today, I wish I could sit beside that paralyzed younger self. I’d tell her that, as impossible as it might seem, someday in the future, she’d be able to talk about it. Someday, someone would hear her story, and try to understand.”

Turner, who began volunteering for Planned Parenthood at age 19 in Springfield, Mo., now serves as chairwoman of Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s Board of Advocates. She also supported PPAO by appearing May 3rd at An Evening with Kathleen Turner, a double feature of “Peggy Sue Got Married” and “Serial Mom” with a Q&A hosted by local radio star Daria Eliuk.

FromPlanned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon:

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon is an independent, non-partisan, not-for-profit organization formed as the political arm of Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon engages in educational and electoral activity including public education campaigns, grassroots organizing, and legislative advocacy.

In 2002, we formed Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregon, which is a statewide, non-partisan political action committee that supports pro-choice, pro-family planning candidates for office.

Candidates often do not give voters the information they need to make important election decisions and many anti-choice candidates try to hide their true agenda until after the election. To combat this, our political arm seeks to provide accurate information about candidates to voters.

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon is incorporated under Section 501c(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. Therefore, contributions are not tax deductible. This site is paid for by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon and Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregon and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

Our Mission

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon is the statewide political voice for Planned Parenthood’s two affiliates in Oregon and for women’s health care. PPAO defends the Planned Parenthood mission by advocating for public policy that will enhance and protect women’s health; by building support and accountability among our elected officials in Oregon; and by engaging and motivating the public.

Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregon supports state and local candidates who have taken responsible positions on women’s health care, including birth control and abortion.