Fuck Yeah Planned Parenthood

i have a college education from a great college. i look Caucasian. i have been married for over a decade. to the same person. i am not the person anyone who hates PP thinks of when they think of PP.

i lost my health care when i graduated in ‘96. it was my college grad gift from the health insurance co. my parents had. i could not afford a doctor of any type as out of pocket was too expensive. however, planned parenthood in NYC covered me for virtually nothing because that is what i could afford. i may on occasion waited hours in a packed waiting room with other women just like me. when i was seen, i was not judged, only assisted. they not only examined my girlie bits but screened me, gave me a breast exam, checked my blood pressure and more. they gave me not just femme care but overall HEALTH care. like a regular doctor visit on top of gyno services as part of exam. every single person that worked for PP was both kind and respectful. something often lacking when in the past i went to see private docs who treated me like an imbecile  because i dared to ask questions about my health.

i moved to binghamton ny in ‘98 after a family tragedy that left me literally bankrupt. once again ppl happily treated me. they took care of me. they made sure i had birth control, family planning and regular health care. PPL was so streamlined and efficient that i had no problem when i moved from downstate to upstate. they had my files. they kept track. as i made more money, they asked for more. never once being a financial burden. instead they alleviated my burden. 

my companion and i left bing and moved to S.Norwalk CT. where my job gave me health insurance. after waiting months for it to kick in i received it and went to-you guessed it-PP. they took my insurance, they were conveniently located, and gave their usual top notch care. i could have chosen another provider but why would i? PP far surpassed almost every doc experience i’ve had.

when i left that job for a better one that paid so much more i also lost my insurance. i still had PP by my side. i could pay out of pocket because they did not charge an arm and a leg like private doc.

finally i moved back downstate to brooklyn and PP was there too. when my husband suffered an on the job injury that left him with a permanent partial disability and out of works we were hit hard financially. we lost everything we worked for.  we lost his health insurance coverage as soon as that accident happened. however, PP never left my side. when financially it got so hard we were facing potential homelessness. we skipped meals. both my husband and i had B.A’s and great resume’s and it just didn’t matter. PP stepped in and helped me get on various GOV services. And of course, medical. PP enabled me to get my IUD completely free of charge. i could not risk an accidental pregnancy. i could not bring another life into the suffering my husband and i were enduring. we could neither afford nor be good parents and we were well aware of this FACT. PP gave me the ability to make the responsible choices that enabled my partner and i to start making headway.

now we have health insurance again. he has a good job again. we see a light at the end of this long tunnel. a light that may have not been there had it not been for PP that consistently went above and beyond the call of duty. and i am so grateful. mu husband is grateful. PP was there through thick and thin and i never had an abortion. i never needed one because of PP.

i can not imagine other women, families, teens, boyfriends, husbands NOT  having the same care i had. it would be not just wrong ethically but it would be just down right cruel. it would prevent necessary care and family services from those who need it most. it would prevent people from getting the help they both need and deserve as US citizens and humans to lift themselves up after a fall. take away PP and great healthcare that often surpasses private healthcare will be taken away as well. to take away PP and their care is the same as telling me personally that i do not deserve care and i am worthless.  i say that is positively absolutely unAMERICAN.

Know your status, take a friend and get tested!

http://www.hivtest.org/