the personal is political
I wouldn't normally blog about something like this, but I feel like this issue needs a lot of voices speaking up about it.
Last week I went to a family planning clinic for an annual exam, and to ask about getting an IUD. At the clinic, I didn't have to wait; they were ready to see me exactly at my appointment time. I spent time with the intake nurse and the nurse practitioner, both of whom were friendly and made me feel completely at ease. They answered all of my questions, and were helpful with my concerns about cost. Because of my current low income, I fall into the donation category, meaning that they will provide care for free, and I can make a donation of any amount that I am able to. In total, they spent almost two hours with me (and it's not like I was sitting around in the exam room, waiting for someone to show up). I have NEVER gotten that much attention from a doctor, except at another family planning clinic that I visited last year. I'm incredibly grateful that services like this exist, and I would gladly visit them even if I had better health insurance that gave me more options for care providers.
The clinic that I went to was not run by Planned Parenthood, but they provide similar services. Family Planning Association of Maine relies on state and Title X federal funding for the majority of its budget. Like Planned Parenthood, FPA provides abortions, and in both cases, Title X money ALREADY cannot be used to fund those abortions. When low-income women can't afford to pay for an abortion, the clinics use funding from other sources. Under the proposed Republican budget, Title X funding would be denied to any organizations that provide abortions, meaning that Planned Parenthood, FPA, and other clinics would have to severely cut back on their other services, including STD testing, education, and birth control. This is an extremely short-sighted approach that seems more aimed at punishing women than at preventing abortion.
Last week I went to a family planning clinic for an annual exam, and to ask about getting an IUD. At the clinic, I didn't have to wait; they were ready to see me exactly at my appointment time. I spent time with the intake nurse and the nurse practitioner, both of whom were friendly and made me feel completely at ease. They answered all of my questions, and were helpful with my concerns about cost. Because of my current low income, I fall into the donation category, meaning that they will provide care for free, and I can make a donation of any amount that I am able to. In total, they spent almost two hours with me (and it's not like I was sitting around in the exam room, waiting for someone to show up). I have NEVER gotten that much attention from a doctor, except at another family planning clinic that I visited last year. I'm incredibly grateful that services like this exist, and I would gladly visit them even if I had better health insurance that gave me more options for care providers.
The clinic that I went to was not run by Planned Parenthood, but they provide similar services. Family Planning Association of Maine relies on state and Title X federal funding for the majority of its budget. Like Planned Parenthood, FPA provides abortions, and in both cases, Title X money ALREADY cannot be used to fund those abortions. When low-income women can't afford to pay for an abortion, the clinics use funding from other sources. Under the proposed Republican budget, Title X funding would be denied to any organizations that provide abortions, meaning that Planned Parenthood, FPA, and other clinics would have to severely cut back on their other services, including STD testing, education, and birth control. This is an extremely short-sighted approach that seems more aimed at punishing women than at preventing abortion.
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