A 16-year-old girl from Tucson, Arizona cornered a Republican lawmaker who favored the defunding of Planned Parenthood. Deja Foxx blasted Sen. Jeff Flake during a town hall meeting Thursday for taking away her right to reproductive health care. The exchange took place just as President Donald Trump approved the bill to cut the organization's funds.
After Foxx introduced herself to the senator, she asked Flake why he believed it was in his place to take away her right. Onlookers cheered on the 16-year-old girl for addressing the 54-year-old lawmaker head on, especially when she compared her background with his background.
"I'm wondering, as a Planned Parenthood patient and someone who relies on Title X, who you are clearly not, why it's your right to take away my right to choose Planned Parenthood?" the teenager asked, as per Refinery 29. She clearly defined she would benefit from Planned Parenthood as an underprivileged woman with little choices to costly reproductive health services, while the senator, a privileged male, don't need Planned Parenthood.
The president and his Republican Party made their plans clear for Planned Parenthood since the elections. The newly-signed law repealed former President Barack Obama's ruling on state funding for organizations servicing abortion, contraception and other reproductive health issues.
Now, states are entitled to block tax payers' money intended for family planning programs related to abortion. Some cases, however, could be exempted such as aborting pregnancies from rape, incest or life-threatening situations, as per NPR.
Foxx also told CNN she decided to speak up on behalf of women "ignored on Capitol Hill." The teenager said she wasn't satisfied with the answers Flake gave her because he did not address her concerns on reproductive rights.
Flake talked about the American dream but Foxx wanted to hear concrete plans and commitments from lawmakers in supporting women's health, especially from people in low-income backgrounds. Watch Foxx on CNN in the video below.
