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An Open Letter to Planned Parenthood

| Jacqueline M.

There’s been a lot of talk about Planned Parenthood, particularly as the Republican presidential candidates try to outdo one another in the race to see who can be worst for women.

But an interesting thing is happening: women are standing up and sharing what Planned Parenthood means to them and exactly what’s at stake.

In Austin, TX, Christina shared how the reliable and non-judgmental care she received from a Planned Parenthood health center helped shape her future.

“The thing I remember most about you back then is how you always treated me with respect and dignity. As a 19-year-old high school drop-out, getting treated with respect and dignity wasn’t something that happened every day. And it definitely made an impression on me when it did.

You didn’t try to steer me to any decision. You didn’t have any sort of agenda or bias. You gave me solid information and you let me know that you totally understood the decision was mine. And when I told you what I had decided, you walked your talk about being there for me by connecting me with a clinic that could help me from that point forward.”

We love it and hope you’ll click through to read the entire piece.

With one in five women turning to Planned Parenthood health centers at some time in her life, this compassionate and reliable care is not something women and families can afford to lose. It’s time to join Christina and the thousands of others across the country and let our politicians know that women are watching. Sign the pledge today!

Tags: Texas, Women Are Watching

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Comments (16)

02.03.12 @ 12:21PM | cndmyeyqmg

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02.01.12 @ 5:54PM | Lauri Tanner

Planned Parenthood saved my life numerous times when I was young. I will support this amazing organization always.

My 85 year old mother who is fighting cancer in Florida was so upset by the news of the Komen Foundation defunding Planned Parenthood yesterday that she made a major gift to PP today, additional to her annual gift of support. We will not contribute to SGKF or their Walks For The Cure ever again until they reserve this shameful decision.

We stand with you and will always vote for those who act on behalf of choice for women.
Thank you for everything you do for health, not just of women but men all over this country.

01.31.12 @ 11:38PM | Claudia

I have not needed Planned Parenthood yet but I know that they are there for me if I do.

I do not want my daughters, my friends, my students, my neighbors to have to live without this safety net.

01.27.12 @ 5:00PM | Kate

I am grateful to the Planned Parenthoods of NY,WA and NV for always being there when I needed them. Providing affordable healthcare for the well being of me, my body and my rights as a woman. Thank You.

01.26.12 @ 2:23PM | Rae

Planned Parenthood provided me with good, affordable medical care when I had neither insurance nor very much money. Plus, their clinic was on a bus line, so I could get to it easily even though I didn't have a car. I'm better off financially now, but I'm still grateful to Planned Parenthood of Vermont, and I feel strongly enough that I'll only vote for candidates that support its mission.

01.25.12 @ 4:08PM | Valerie

I have been happily married for over 21 years and am the mom of two terrific teenagers. There is no way I would be where I am were it not for the important role Planned Parenthood played in my life almost 30 years ago when I was a college student. As a young adult living away from home for the first time, I had no medical insurance and wasn’t comfortable discussing contraception with my parents. Fortunately there was a Planned Parenthood near campus. It was a familiar name and had a good reputation. As a result, I felt safe turning to them for help.

Planned Parenthood provided me with an affordable, professional exam and accurate information about contraception. I was so grateful for their treatment that I went on to become a volunteer pregnancy counselor for them while still a college student.

As a pregnancy counselor, I saw a variety of women facing unplanned pregnancies. Some were young college students and some were women with grown children who were shocked to find themselves pregnant close to menopause. In all cases Planned Parenthood trained us to explain all options to these patients. We offered referrals for pre-natal care. We provided literature on local adoption agencies. And, we provided details on early term abortion options. Our primary mission in ALL cases was to be sure every one of these women left with information about birth control options in order to avoid future unplanned pregnancies.

I know from firsthand experience that Planned Parenthood’s primary mission is to keep women healthy and to reduce unwanted pregnancies. Those who insist otherwise are uninformed and wrong. Eliminating funding to Planned Parenthood will absolutely increase the number of unplanned pregnancies and STD’s within our community. I think we can all agree this is not a desirable outcome.

01.25.12 @ 3:40PM | Stacy

Thank you Planned Parenthood!! When I had no insurance you were there for me when no one else would help. I will always support PP. Thank you PP!!!!

01.25.12 @ 3:29PM | heather

Dear planned parenthood,

First off I want to say I hope you neve give up the good fight. The healthcare that you provide is so important in today's society.

I received advice from.the planed parenthood in Nebraska. At the time of my pregnancy I had no idea what I was going to do, or were I could turn. I called pp not knowing what to expect. What I got was some of the best information I have ever recived Unbiased advice not just about abortion but all my options. I am so thankful that pp was there when I needed them
The most.

01.25.12 @ 1:45PM | Jennifer Rhodes-Wynne

I love PP. I vote. I am the mother of two daughters.

01.25.12 @ 1:33PM | Heather Birdsong

Over the years, Planned Parenthood has provided invaluable and affordable medical services to meet my needs as a young, low-income woman. It's a great comfort to know that I can rely on Planned Parenthood for everything from my basic yearly checkups, questions about birth control, concerns over the ways my body changes as I get older (included checking out a dreaded breast lump), and the STD checkups that gave me the peace of mind I needed during years of failed relationships.

So much of my comfort with my body is about trust. Thank you, Planned Parenthood, for being a resource I can trust, with a helpful, knowledgeable, and compassionate staff.

01.25.12 @ 1:14PM | Amanda

As a teenager and young adult, Planned Parenthood was a godsend for me. I had safe, affordable and non judgmental access to birth control, STD testing, and counseling that wouldn't have been available to me otherwise, and which saved me from what could have been disastrous consequences. I shudder to think of what is in store for young women if a GOP candidate is elected and chooses to defund such an important organization. Planned Parenthood is about so much more than just abortion-care (even though I support it's right to provide those services as well). I find it mind boggling that the conservative presidential candidates don't seem to understand that abortions come from unwanted pregnancies, and unwanted pregnancies can only be avoided with the sexual education counseling and birth control options that Planned Parenthood readily provides. I stand with Planned Parenthood, and I urge other men and women, who care about themselves, their sisters, their friends and their daughters, to do the same.

01.25.12 @ 1:06PM | zoe

PP has been there, and always informed and never judged. I know the care I recieve will be honest and supportive nomatter what choices I make. It is a very big deal for me to see a woman doctor, and I think the PP doctors, nurses, and administration are shining stars. I've used PP in 4 different states, and I'm always welcomed. Thank you.

01.25.12 @ 1:04PM | Tamika Garrison

Planned Parenthood gave me the insurance I needed to have birth control to help deal with my endometriosis. The woman there have counseled me and helped me make decisions that I need guidance with.

01.25.12 @ 1:01PM | Diane

Planned Parenthood, when I was a teenager you helped empower me to take control of my health and sexuality at a time when there was little other support available. Your services helped me avoid the pain and heartache of cervical cancer when you early diagnosed me with high grade precancerous cervical cells. Now, as an adult with no health insurance (and no more precancerous cells!), you are the only health services that I can rely on when money is tight and I have no where else to turn. Your organization has been invaluable in helping me grow and THRIVE in every realm of my life both directly and indirectly. I am incredibly grateful for all of that.

01.25.12 @ 12:54PM | Britta Stumpp

I am a 31 year old, married, monogamous woman. Planned Parenthood's services have been invaluable to me and to my husband when we were going to college because we had to work part-time and had no insurance, and after when my husband lost his job and I was working two part-tim jobs…again, we had no access to insurance. Planned Parenthood's services caught a pre-cancerous growth that could have turned deadly without their help. Planned Parenthood does SO MUCH to help men and women in this country! This is not just about teenagers. This is about women and their husbands and/or partners who need help! And the one who has always been there for them is Planned Parenthood!

01.25.12 @ 12:53PM | Amy

When I was 17 I found myself pregnant. My parents did not know (when I went to Planned Parenthood) and I was counseled on my choices. Despite the GOP assertion that Planned Parenthood pushes abortion this was not my experience. They explained all my options with an emphasis on adoption. That was my plan. If my parents hadn't discovered my pregnancy that would have been my plan. Unfortunately it was my parents who insisted that I have an abortion and they took me to a hospital over the state lines where there was an abortion clinic that, as far as I know, has no affiliation with Planned Parenthood. It really makes me angry when people make the claim that Planned Parenthood "pushes abortions on young girls" because it just simply isn't true. They inform and information is empowering.

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