Kate Kelly, former founder of Ordain Women, announced that she will now be working for Planned Parenthood.
With the Utah Department of Health planning to ends its contract with Planned Parenthood, the organization hired Kelly to work in strategic advocacy and bring policy counsel to the Planned Parenthood Action Council of Utah.
Kate Kelly, center, founder of Ordain Women, walks with supporters to the Church Office Building during a vigil in Salt Lake City on June 22, 2014. (Associated Press)
Kelly's appointment is in reaction to Gov. Herbert's call for the Utah Department of Health to stop passing along funds to the organization.
'The allegations against Planned Parenthood are deeply troubling,' said Herbert in his statement. 'The federal government has provided grants to Planned Parenthood, distributed through the Utah Department of Health. These funds are also prohibited from being used to perform abortions. In light of ongoing concerns about the organization, I have instructed state agencies to cease acting as an intermediary for pass-through federal funds to Planned Parenthood.'
Calls to cut off funds to Planned Parenthood have sounded nationwide after secretly recorded footage was leaked showing officials bargaining over the price of aborted fetal tissue.
Defunding Planned Parenthood, 'is not only unfair, it puts a lot of women and people who use these services in jeopardy,' Kelly said to the media. 'I think that one thing we can agree on is we want to prevent unwanted pregnancy, we want to support women, and that we want health care to be available, especially to the people who are most in need.'
Kelly is using many of the same tactics as she did to organize the Ordain Women group, such as rallying public support using social media campaigns and petitions.
'It makes sense for me to use my experience and my background and my skills to fight for women, because that's what I've been doing my whole life,' Kelly said. 'For me, it's a wonderful fit.'