Mila Kunis Donates To Planned Parenthood Each Month, But With A Perfect Political Twist

Celebrities that speak openly about political causes can often face backlash from media or fans that disagree with their choices. Mila Kunis, however, does not care. On Nov. 2, it was revealed that Kunis donates to Planned Parenthood every month under the name of Vice President Mike Pence — which has to be the most generous "so there" gesture possible. Pence's stance on reproductive health is widely derided by his opposition, as he's championed harmful, anti-woman, and anti-non-binary legislation on several occasions. Kunis, meanwhile, is a proud feminist, and she isn't shy about disagreeing with the Vice President.

Pence's conservative politics are at odds with the actor's progressive ones, as she herself is a member of multiple demographics harmed by the 2016 Presidential Election. (Kunis is a woman, Jewish, a Democrat, a political refugee, and a generally empathetic human being.) As a result, as she stated on Conan, she's always looking for ways to remind the administration about the many, many Americans who disagree with their policies. In recent months, one of her solutions was to set up a recurring donation to Planned Parenthood — an institution which the Trump administration openly advocates against — in the name of Vice President Pence.

Kunis talked about her decision to do this on Conan, and was remarkably diplomatic about it. After all, the recurring donation wasn't organized out of spite. It was to help fund the care of Americans, many of whom are lower-income, and even more of whom have no other health care option. Kunis understands that not only her fans, but people in general, may object to her decision to continue funding Planned Parenthood, particularly in the name of a politician who so staunchly opposes its services. As a result, she insisted that her monthly donation in Pence's name wasn't a prank, so much as "a reminder of the women" who disagree with his politics. "I apologize if I'm offending anybody," stated the actor, "But it's my way of showing him... It's a peaceful protest."

This isn't the first time the Veep has inspired a "peaceful protest" from his detractors. After all, Pence has been an anti-abortion crusader for as long as he's been in politics. As Governor of Indiana, his scientifically iffy abortion legislation led one constituent to call his office every day with updates on her menstrual cycle. This evolved into "Periods For Pence," a movement that sought to prove how needlessly harsh the then-governor's policies were. Kunis is just one of many women to speak out against his views, and she's not just doing it for the laugh.

As most of its supporters know, Planned Parenthood serves people of all gender identities — providing STD tests, cancer screenings, reproductive health information, family planning aids, and more. An increasingly anti-abortion administration has tried to emphasize Planned Parenthood as a government-funded provider of abortions, which is incorrect, as federally-funded abortion care is illegal under the Hyde Amendment. (Many Planned Parenthood centers do provide abortion services, but taxpayer money cannot legally be directed to that.)

Early in 2017, Pence became the first VP to speak at D.C.'s March For Life, which is an anti-abortion rally that occurs every year to coincide with the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. This speech, as well as Pence's unapologetic stance on reproductive health, has inspired legions of American citizens to show the administration how they feel about him. (Pence's destructive health care policies in Indiana reportedly directly caused an outbreak of HIV. He's Vice President now.) Kunis is just one of many to donate to Planned Parenthood in Pence's name, but she does it with an extra kick: Every month, a Planned Parenthood sends his office a certificate, announcing an anonymous donation has been made in his name to Planned Parenthood. Of course, this isn't a prank. It's so much better than that.