In high school I was too embarrassed to go to my family doctor for birth control. I knew that I would be soon consummating my relationship with my high school boyfriend, and I knew that in addition to condoms, in order to protect myself from pregnancy, I needed to go on the Pill. I knew this because of Planned Parenthood’s informed, objective materials. Our middle school sex ed classes were nothing but hour-long smirk sessions, so the Internet was my sex education class. If it hadn’t been for Planned Parenthood’s website, I may never have found a comprehensive resource that gave me honest information about all forms of birth control–abstinence included!
When I finally told her, my mother was unwaveringly supportive. Many teens don’t have this luxury. I was 17 years old and I was mature and responsible about it. I knew that if I was going to have sex I needed to go on the Pill. Where did I procure this Pill? From my local Planned Parenthood Center. Yes, even middle class white girls who have their parents’ support use Planned Parenthood. Why? Because it’s a health clinic, one with informed medical personnel who withhold judgment, one with prorated prescription plans, one that I knew I could trust even more than my family doctor.
I went with a friend and my knees were shaking, but everyone was so nice. I gave them my medical history and they informed me about the risks associated with sexual activity. They told me that the Pill would not protect against STDs and that I should still use condoms. I was 17 and so paranoid about getting pregnant, I knew I’d do everything possible to stave off that risk–condoms, despite their relative discomfort, included.
I left with a prescription for Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo and several pamphlets about sexual health. I felt safe and responsible about my decision to protect myself before losing my virginity–which, notedly, did not happen because of or even that soon after my procurement of the Pill. Had Planned Parenthood’s resources not been so readily available, I may have started having sex without being on the Pill, hugely increasing my risk of pregnancy. If I had gotten pregnant at 17, my life would be so much different. And frankly, I like my life just the way it is.
I don’t talk much about politics on this blog–I think about them a lot, but they’re just not within my particular writing canon at the moment. But the news about the House’s vote to bar federal funding from Planned Parenthood literally caused me to shriek in the middle of my hotel room in Seattle. This is not just an assault on lower-income women–though it is. This is not just an assault on minorities–though it is. This is an assault on all women and men who seek responsible council and information about sexual health. This is an assault on STD prevention, on preventative health care, on lifesaving procedures. This is an assault on young people–on teens who are too scared to tell their parents, or who don’t have parents to turn to at all. Planned Parenthood was unbelievably instrumental in helping me make safe, informed decisions about my sexual health at the ripe age of 17. Without federal funding, they won’t be able to do the same for other teenaged boys and girls. And to me, that’s unacceptable–and something worth fighting against.
You can help Planned Parenthood by signing this petition, or donating here.
I had a similar experience nearly 20 years earlier. And as the mother of a teenage daughter, I wonder how many of her friends will be negatively affected and lives destroyed if this assault on women’s healthcare is allowed to stand. Horrifying. Thank you for sharing your story.
thanks for writing this. when i was too financially unstable to afford proper birth control or women’s health, my personal doctor and nyu’s health center both turned me away, but planned parenthood helped me for months without a single bill. i was so thankful for them. and now i am absolutely devastated by the news about the house’s vote — what a gigantic step backward for our country. it’s heartbreaking.