My Planned Parenthood

Hub Post for the carnival is here.

Unlike many states, in mine Planned Parenthood isn’t particularly under attack. Nonetheless, I think it is important to understand (if compassion and empathy aren’t enough reason, which they should be), that since Planned Parenthood is a national organization, the legal battles in even just a few states will effect everyone who uses Planned Parenthood services.

What has made Planned Parenthood crucial to me has been the knowledge that the practitioners there place medical care first. Too often, regular doctors’ responses to me were non-medical: as a teenager, they preached abstinence; as a queer gentleman they’ve preached…..other things.

When I was a teenager, my girlfriend and I received contraceptives through Planned Parenthood. Both of us required unique solutions. Planned Parenthood was the only option. Chances are very good that Planned Parenthood prevented her needing an abortion. I’m not sure how to put that more clearly, but PP was the only option for this kind of medical care in our state (and with our respective salaries), without which she could very likely have become pregnant. It isn’t like we could go to our family doctor’s (or Walgreens) to get this kind of care, mostly for her but also for me.

Later on I discovered she’d been cheating on me. Requiring an STD test and potential treatment, I again needed Planned Parenthood — it was simply impossible financially and practically in my state, in my area, to get full spectrum STD tests anywhere else. Thankfully, I was fine. But, once again, Planned Parenthood provided expert medical care at a reasonable cost.

Since then, as a queer gentleman, I have been to Planned Parenthood several times. Because I know PP is a safe space where health care is the practitioners’ primary goal, and not religious beliefs, I have been able to go there without concern that my sexuality would be up for debate, or cause to avoid providing me with necessary medical information. Removing this option would have been absolutely devastating to my psychological and physical health. Planned Parenthood practitioners have consistently gone above and beyond for me and almost everyone I know.

Planned Parenthood provides absolutely essential medical care to women and men at affordable costs. Planned Parenthood, in providing abortions in addition to its other services, is an organization that consciously treats women as fully human and deserving of self-ownership. Lawmakers defunding Planned Parenthood  are saying that basic health services for (especially) women (but also) men are simply less important than their partisan agenda. This is unacceptable.

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