Johansson opposes women's health cutbacks

NEW YORK, April 9 (UPI) -- U.S. actress Scarlett Johansson is speaking out for Planned Parenthood against cuts sought by House Republicans.

In a YouTube video posted by the women's health organization Friday as the funding battle threatened to shut down the federal government, Johansson urged viewers to sign a letter protesting the GOP's budget bill, the New York Daily News reported.

"A cancer that goes undetected. A sexually transmitted disease left undetected. A woman unable to get the birth control she needs to plan her family and take control of her own destiny," she said. "This is the disastrous vision of some leaders of the United States House of Representatives."

Planned Parenthood provides birth control, cancer screenings, breast exams and STD testing, but opponents sought to cut all federal funding because it also performs abortions.

The online petition, which calls the law an "outrageous assault" on healthcare, has gathered more than 800,000 electronic signatures.

Gwyneth Paltrow also posted a brief YouTube message Wednesday backing Planned Parenthood.