My Planned Parenthood story is a simple one, but I imagine it is rather common. When I was in college, I had a terrible experience in my student health center on campus where a nurse slut-shamed me during my examination. After I recovered from this incident, I sought out my local Planned Parenthood to get information and to receive birth control pills. Even though the clinic had a rather cramped and crowded waiting room, both the receptionist and the doctor I worked with treated me with respect. After I reported my income (which was almost nothing), Planned Parenthood gave me my birth control pills for free.
I was a young adult who, without Planned Parenthood, would have not had easy, no-cost access to birth control.
Shaming me would not have stopped me from sleeping with my boyfriend at the time, but it could have prevented me from seeking safe birth control, had I not had access to this organization. I was able to prevent pregnancy, and prevent the need for an abortion, because of Planned Parenthood. And for that, and for everything they do, they will always have my gratitude and support.
Read the rest of the My Planned Parenthood Carnival posts here.
Shakesville is run as a safe space. First-time commenters: Please read Shakesville's Commenting Policy and Feminism 101 Section before commenting. We also do lots of in-thread moderation, so we ask that everyone read the entirety of any thread before commenting, to ensure compliance with any in-thread moderation. Thank you.
blog comments powered by Disqus