Frightening Future for Planned Parenthood Clinics

Three clinics located in Bryan, Huntsville and Lufkin Texas are closing in response to new abortion restrictions and funding cuts to Texas’ Women’s Health Program that were passed by Texas state legislature in 2011. Out of these three Planned Parenthood clinics only the Bryan clinic actually performed abortion services.

Upon researching this issue, I was disheartened to find so many articles from Anti-Choice organizations that made completely false and needless to say cruel statements. One of which I found hit me harder than the rest. “They are desperate to stay relevant, to keep up their false image of being a valid women’s health provider,” said Elizabeth Graham, director of Texas Right to Life.

I’m pretty sure that when Margaret Sanger started family planning clinics and later opened “Mothers’ Health Centers” in New York, she was doing so for women’s health. This is what we stand for, fight for, and work for every day. So I’m sorry Ms. Graham you are highly mistaken.

With these three clinics shutting down the alarming reality is that women in rural and underserved areas will be left with no real options for getting the basic, preventative health care they need.

In these tough times Texas is fighting back, they are merging three regional branches, North Texas, Austin, and Waco into one $29 million per year, 26 clinic mega-organization. This will create a leaner, more efficient organization, especially in the face of reductions in state and federal financing. Although it is refreshing to see positive changes, the reality is that the “unknown” of what is to come for all Planned Parenthood affiliates is frightening to say the least.

Anniversary of Obama Care’s Birth Control Coverage Mandate

Yesterday was the year anniversary of Obama Care’s divisive birth control coverage mandate! Leaders of the House Pro-Choice Caucus it as the “single greatest advancement in women’s health in a generation.” The birth control mandate requires that most employers cover a range of birth control methods in their worker health plans without a co-pay.

Many business owners have objected to this due to their religious beliefs, which let’s be real, is crazy! No one is asking them to personally use the birth control, they should be offering it to their employees that might not necessarily have the same views as them. Furthermore, they shouldn’t not hire someone based on their religious beliefs, why would they deny them something that our government is requiring, should be a done a deal and not a fight! This should be something amazing for women and families and yet again it’s turned ugly.

Slaughter and DeGette said in a statement “Yet once again, these gains for women are under attack this week, as House Republicans plan to vote for the 40th time to repeal, obstruct, and undermine the protections and benefits millions of women receive under ACA,”

Understandably churches and houses of worship can ignore the rules, and religiously affiliated employers will not be required to pay for, offer or facilitate birth control coverage themselves. Luckily in a non-religious situation, a federal appeals court ruled last week that the owners of Conestoga, a private cabinet-making company, could not challenge the contraception mandate because of their personal religious beliefs.

We take one step forward and of course people try to push us two steps back. This is something that is huge for women around the country and we should be celebrating! Haven’t people realized by now how tough women are?

 

Planned Parenthood- more than birth control!

Everyone thinks of Planned Parenthood for birth control; however Planned Parenthood offers many services, such as PRENATAL CLASSES.
What are prenatal classes?
Prenatal classes may come in various forms, but all have the same aim – to help prepare you for labour, birth.
Why go to prenatal classes?
Prenatal classes help you focus on your pregnancy and upcoming labour and birth, but they also have a great social function – they’re a great place to meet other parents-to-be.

The content of the classes will vary, but will include some of the following:

*   information about the process of labour and childbirth<http://www.babycenter.ca/a177/the-stages-of-childbirth>
*   what-to-expect details of medical procedures and interventions
*   the latest research suggestions about possible physical preparations for labour and childbirth
*   advice on relaxation techniques<http://www.babycenter.ca/a544495/relaxation-in-labour>
*   the opportunity to learn about and experiment with different birth positions<http://www.babycenter.ca/a544483/positions-for-labour>
*   some indication of the changes you might experience after the birth and in early parenthood.

Planned Parenthood of Collier County is offering
FREE prenatal classes July 24th  and August 21st  at 5pm.
Call to reserve your place in class 239-262-0301.

Health Tips for the mom-to-be
Take a multivitamin or prenatal vitamin with 400 to 800 micrograms (400 to 800 mcg or 0.4 to 0.8 mg) of folic acid every day. Folic acid is most important in the early stages of pregnancy, but you should continue taking folic acid throughout pregnancy.

Ask your doctor before stopping any medicines or starting any new medicines. Some medicines are not safe during pregnancy. Keep in mind that even over-the-counter medicines and herbal products may cause side effects or other problems.

Avoid x-rays. If you must have dental work or diagnostic tests, tell your dentist or doctor that you are pregnant so that extra care can be taken.

Nicole Angelo/Community Outreach/PPCC

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/pregnancy/prenatal-care-4255.htm

Take the Test, Take Control!

Wednesday, June 19, 2013 NAPLES FL- Planned Parenthood of Collier County will participate in National HIV Testing Day by offering free HIV testing to anyone 17 and older.

National HIV Testing Day is an annual campaign to encourage people of all ages to “Take the Test, Take Control.”

About 50,000 new infections occur each year in the United States and, today, more than one million people are living with HIV in our nation.

The Center for Disease Control estimates that of the 1.1 million people living with HIV in the United States, nearly one in five do not know they are infected.

National HIV Testing Day was founded in 1995 by the National Association of People with AIDS. Today, more than half of American adults have not yet been tested for HIV.

National HIV testing day is Thursday June 27. Planned Parenthood of Collier Countywill be open 9am-6pm. Call 239-262-0301 to schedule your appointment.

This week is Men’s Health Week!

This week is Men’s Health Week

Women can play an important role in getting men to go to the doctor. Encouraging the men in your life to see a health care provider regularly can help prevent them from developing serious illnesses.

 Men’s Health Week is the perfect time to encourage husbands, partners, fathers, brothers, sons, boyfriends, and friends to take the steps they need to stay safe, healthy, and happy when it comes to their sexual health.

 Staying healthy is easy and good sexual health is an important part of staying healthy. Men should get regular checkups and screenings for testicular cancer, and, if they are having sex, they need to get regular testing for sexually transmitted infections and HIV.

A prostate exam is also recommended for men ages 55 to 69 – when the risk of developing prostate cancer is higher.

Facts:

•About half of testicular cancers occur in men between the ages of 20 and 34.

•Other than skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men of all backgrounds.

•Gay and bisexual men face the highest – and rising – rates of syphilis infections. 

Planned Parenthood is here for both women and men. In fact, in the last 10 years, Planned Parenthood has doubled the number of male patients we see nationally for health issues that affect men.

·         21 percent of the services we provide for men are HIV tests

·         27 percent of the services we provide for men are gonorrhea tests

·         27 percent of the services we provide for men are chlamydia tests./

Planned Parenthood’s health centers across the country provide basic health care for men, including prevention and treatment of STDs, HIV testing, and education programs that encourage healthy relationships and focus on comprehensive sex education.

Planned Parenthood of Collier County health centers offer many special services for men, such as  vasectomies, exams, treatment, and referrals.

For more information on men’s health services, please call 239-262-0301.

JUNE 27TH IS NATIONAL HIV TESTING DAY!!!!
CALL TODAY AND MAKE YOUR APPOINTMENT FOR YOUR FREE HIV TEST!
239-262-0301

Birth Control Anniversary!

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Today marks the anniversary of a historic milestone in Americans’ access to birth control and the reproductive rights of women.

 

It was on this date in 1965 that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that married couples have the right to birth control in the case of Griswold v. Connecticut.

 

“And so it was an important ruling in terms that it allowed married couples to have access to contraceptives and it also sort of started what became the ‘privacy clause,’” explains Steven Emmert, chief operating officer of Planned Parenthood of Middle and East Tennessee. “That was the first time that was mentioned.”

 

The privacy clause refers to a woman’s right to privacy when it comes to reproductive issues.

 

Emmert says in the decades since, the expanded access to birth control has helped to improve the health and economic security of women in this country.

 

In 2014, birth control will be covered as a preventive benefit under the Affordable Care Act, without a co-pay, but Emmert notes that the battle over birth control is not over.

 

“We still have elected officials and bosses who don’t see birth control as basic health care,” he says. “But the fact of the matter is 99 percent of women who are sexually active have at some point in their life used birth control, and so it is basic health care.”

 

One person who can speak to the need of contraception as part of basic health care is 19-year-old Max Smith of Knoxville. Smith was a sexually active teen, who had pain with menstruation, but through Planned Parenthood was able to access free birth control.

 

“It made me a lot less worried in general about my life and my future and it made my amount of physical pain go down a whole lot,” she recalls. “Having birth control as accessible as any other medical need is absolutely vital for women’s basic health and basic freedom over their body and their life.”

 

It’s estimated that the average woman spends about five years pregnant or trying to become pregnant and three decades trying to avoid an unintended.

Planned Parenthood of Collier County!

A Global Issue

Recently the United Nations declared access to birth control as a human right. An excerpt from State of the World Population report, titled “By Choice, Not Chance: Family Planning, Human Rights and Development”(what a fantastic title)

“Studies have shown that investing in family planning helps reduce poverty, improve health, promote gender equality, enable adolescents to finish their schooling, and increase labourforce participation.

When a woman is able to exercise her reproductive rights, she is more able to benefit from her other rights, such as the right to education. The results are higher incomes, better health for her and her children and greater decision-making power for her, both in the household and the community.

Wow. Supporters of reproductive rights have always seen access to birth control as a global issue but talk about shouting it from the rooftops!

…Addressing the unmet need for family planning worldwide would avert 54 million unintended pregnancies and result in 26 million fewer abortions. Research also shows that where family planning supplies, information and services are widely available, abortion rates are lower.”

The mission of the choice community is to protect the right to all choices for women: including adoption, parenting and safe, legal abortion. A cornerstone to that mission is enabling women to make the right decisions for their health by strengthening access to information and birth control options. Over the last decade, American women and families have seen a new battle emerge from the anti-choice community. These groups, many of whom openly condemn comprehensive sex education, birth control and abortion, have directed their misinformed campaigns to contraceptives.

Birth control pills, IUDs, emergency contraceptives- even condoms, have all come under attack from these groups. Antichoice groups have encouraged men and women not to use these methods by spreading false information about methods’ failure rates and functions. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face! If these groups really care to end abortion, why are they fighting access to options that prevent unintended pregnancies from happening?!

Everyday Planned Parenthood of Collier County offers medically accurate information, health counseling and access to affordable birth control. That’s what we do-EVERYDAY(besides when we’re closed on Sundays). We’re your health center. We’re your advocates. And we care, No matter what.

Thankful For Choice

Across the country, throughout each legislative session, we see similar bills popping up every year. Targeted Regulations on Abortion Providers legislation, bills relating to gender and race selection and mandatory medical staff ethics training. Through the hard work of Planned Parenthood affiliates and choice supporters, we were able to defeat 18 anti-choice bills during 2012 session. This year, the Florida choice community also defeated Amendment 6, which would have stripped coverage of abortion from state health insurance plans that may currently cover abortion, without exception for a woman’s health or fetal abnormalities. Once session ends and election time passes, it can be difficult for activists to remember how Florida women and families would have been affected if those laws had been passed. Sadly we can be reminded with stories from states and countries where choice is not protected.

Recently, news outlets spotlighted a story of a young woman from Ireland who died of a bacterial infection after enduring a 5 day miscarriage in her local hospital. This woman was diagnosed as miscarrying the day she arrived to the hospital and was denied abortion services until the 17 week pregnancy’s heartbeat was no longer detected.

Just weeks ago in the Dominican Republic, a pregnant 16 year old woman battling leukemia was denied chemotherapy. Twenty days passed before she began receiving the chemotherapy that would have saved her life. Twenty days was too long and she died soon after.

Two years ago, a Nebraskan family endured a painful and dangerous 10 day miscarriage after complications of her 22 week pregnancy because of a 20 week abortion ban law that had been passed by her state.

These are tragic reminders of how delicate the right to choice and access to safe, legal abortion remains. Planned Parenthood supports all choices. Planned Parenthood of Collier County will continue to protect and maintain patient privacy and access to abortion services. It is all of our duty as supporters of choice to remember these stories and work to protect reproductive rights.

Victory For Floridians

 

Vote No On Amendment 6

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“Nobody likes to be told what to do — especially when it’s a matter of health.

Like most people, when I face a health-care decision, I want to be able to consult the people I trust for advice. I talk to my doctor and my family. I might consult my minister or spiritual adviser.

But I’ll tell you who I never call: a politician.

Yet, that’s exactly who will be involved in women’s health-care decisions unless we defeat Amendment 6 — a dangerous amendment on the Nov. 6 general election ballot that could allow politicians to interfere with a woman’s health-care decisions — without an exception to protect women’s health.

That means that if it passes, the government would be able to intrude on the most personal medical decisions between a woman, her family and her doctor. For instance, a pregnant woman facing a threat to her health could find that her insurance is banned from covering the medical care she needs to end a pregnancy to protect her health — even if she is facing a serious illness like cancer. Even if her doctor advises her that terminating the pregnancy is the best course of treatment, she could be denied coverage.

Sometimes things go tragically wrong with a pregnancy. Imagine a woman discovers that she is facing a pregnancy with a severe fetal abnormality or one that would permanently affect her fertility. Under Amendment 6, she and her family may have to deal with the added stress of figuring out how to afford the medical care she needs — even though she has health insurance.

Medically necessary abortions can cost upwards of several thousand dollars. Forcing a woman and her family to pay for these procedures out of pocket or making her wait, against her will, until the pregnancy becomes life-threatening is cruel and unnecessary — especially when health-insurance plans previously could have covered the procedure.

At a time when working families struggle to get the health care they need to stay healthy, Tallahassee politicians should turn their attention to expanding health coverage instead of trying to take away coverage from women who currently have it.

As the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Collier County, I know how important it is to remove obstacles to health care. And I’m not alone. A broad coalition stands in opposition to this Amendment 6, including religious leaders such as Catholics for Choice, the National Council of Jewish Women and the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, as well as medical and health-care professionals, doctors and other caregivers.

We oppose Amendment 6 because it puts politics and politicians where they don’t belong — in the doctor’s office and in the middle of personal decisions about a woman’s health. Women should be trusted and respected to protect their own health and medical professionals should be trusted and respected to provide the best care for their patients. We all deserve access to insurance plans that cover care we can count on and physicians we can trust, not coverage and medical care chosen for us by politicians.

I encourage Floridians to visit http://www.VoteNoOn6.com to get the facts and to vote “no” on 6.”

Naples Daily News Guest Column From PPCC CEO, Char Wendel