Planned Parenthood
Dear legislators,
I am a woman.
I like my body
and I like to do things with it
but sometimes it gets sick
sometimes it needs check ups
sometimes it wants to have sex
but not have babies
sometimes it needs a bit of help
please don’t take away my help
please
Ok, so I know that everyone is talking about Planned Parenthood and how it’s getting its funding threatened, but I really feel like I had to join in the conversation, because it feels really relevant to me right now.
For those of you who don’t know, right now conservatives in Congress are trying to pass a bill that would cut all of PP’s Title X funding, which accounts for the majority of the money that PP runs on. If they lose this funding, Planned Parenthood will stop functioning. The logic behind this is to stop PP from using government funds to pay for abortions. Which they already don’t. Because it’s already illegal for them to do that, unless it’s in the case of incest, rape, or danger to the mother’s life.
So I’m pretty angry. Because Planned Parenthood is an AMAZING resource. Just last week I stopped by the clinic just to talk for a consultation, and I walked out feeling so informed, heard, and taken care of, not to mention with an awesome goody bag! And it was all free. I found out that if I wanted to, I could get an IUD–which can cost up to $1,000–for free. And PP DOESN’T only provide abortions. In fact, that is really a very very small part of what they do. Planned Parenthood also provides primary care for low-income patients. Just the other day my good friend Damaris had to go to PP for primary care because she doesn’t have health insurance. And when I was escorting for Planned Parenthood, an entire family walked into the clinic. Now I highly doubt that they were all going in there to get abortions.
I get that abortion is a controversial topic. And I get that we can’t all agree on it. But I sincerely believe that women have the right to decide what to do with their bodies, and Planned Parenthood is one of the best resources out there to help them do that.
Check out this ad that Moveon.org has been made in order to fight this bill. The ending image is that of a coat hanger, with the words “we won’t go back to the back alley.” Because we’re not.
Moveon.org is trying to get their ad on tv, but needs funds to do it. I donated $5. I figure that I didn’t pay for the huge goody bag full of condoms and Plan B that Planned Parenthood gave me, so I will put some of my funds towards this ad, because this bill cannot pass. It just cannot.
Take a look at the ad, and maybe think about donating something. It can be small. Consider it an investment in securing yourself a back up when you need Planned Parenthood’s services, whether it be for birth control, breast exams, STD exams, primary care, or even an abortion.
Untitled from MoveOn.org Official Channel on Vimeo.
