In this exchange, a constituent asks Rep. Grothman why he supports defunding Planned Parenthood. She reminds him ZERO federal dollars go toward abortion services and warns him not to use that as an excuse. Rep. Grothman isn’t quite sure what Planned Parenthood does, but he is sure women can just hop on down to the grocery store and get the same services. Rep. Grothman’s response and similar responses from his all-white, all-male Republican colleagues in the House are precisely why we need more women in office. Women’s lives and their futures depend on it.

Thanks to Kaili Joy Gray at ShareBlue for the transcript.

GROTHMAN: You look at every city, and you can get birth control in, I would guess, in Neenah—

WOMAN: You would guess?

GROTHMAN: … uh six or ten different places. In pharmacists [sic], in many grocery stores, not to mention you can get it in a variety of clinics.

WOMAN: I’ve never gotten a prescription from a grocery store.

GROTHMAN: My guess is, in a city the size of Neenah … there have to be six or eight clinics where you can get birth control.

WOMAN: But what about rural communities?

GROTHMAN: I don’t respond to questions out of the blue. But I will say this: If you look at where all the Planned Parenthood clinics are in the state of Wisconsin, they are usually in more urban areas. I looked one time and got a list of all the clinics, Planned Parenthood clinics, in the state of Wisconsin. I don’t think there were any that I’m aware of, just pursuing it, in which you would say the village was so small that they didn’t have any other health care providers. I mean, they’ll throw that out, but if you look, it is usually in larger areas.