The WNBA Is Standing With Planned Parenthood

The today that the Trump administration plans to implement a rule banning reproductive healthcare providers, like Planned Parenthood, from getting certain federal funds if they provide abortion referrals. Hours later, WNBA President Lisa Borders put out this statement:

The WNBA season opens tonight, and the league announced Thursday the “Take A Seat, Take A Stand” program; for each ticket purchased, the league will donate $5 to one of six organizations that focus on issues key to women’s lives—and one of those organizations is Planned Parenthood.

Given the history of activism with WNBA players, this isn’t the biggest surprise—but it’s still pretty significant. Planned Parenthood provides critical health care to millions of women across the country, and it’s an organization that anti-abortion conservatives have targeted for decades. This isn’t an uncontroversial stand, safe and mostly meaningless like, say, all the NFL’s theme months.

The WNBA’s leadership didn’t have to take this stand on one of the biggest nights of its season. It did anyway.