The importance of women's healthcare provided by Planned Parenthood
A dear friend of mine's niece posted this on FB. Just one woman's story, but I think there are probably millions like her. Although it's a public post, I don't feel comfortable sharing a screenshot so I just copy/pasted the text.
"I'm the person you hate, and you probably don't even know it.
When I was 22, I was reckless and carefree. A single college student waiting tables in the French Quarter… when I got pregnant.
I took multiple pregnancy tests — all positives. Scared and unsure what to do, I made an appointment at Planned Parenthood. They treated me with kindness and respect.
The test was, unsurprisingly, positive. The provider asked if I knew my options. I said, “I want to keep the pregnancy.” She didn’t try to change my mind. She immediately handed me a pamphlet of resources, explained how to apply for Medicaid, and gave me a list of providers who’d accept it.
That $19 visit changed my life.
Because of that help, I got coverage. I had my first prenatal appointment and established the care that kept me and my baby alive. Medicaid covered my entire pregnancy and delivery.
My daughter was automatically covered by Medicaid at birth — which turned out to be life-saving.
At just one day old, she went into heart failure.
Her emergency heart surgery at two days old, her ICU stay, every specialist, medication, and follow-up? All covered by Medicaid.
She wasn’t a “healthy” baby. I couldn’t keep a job — I was a single mom with a sick infant. So I “took advantage of the system” again and applied for SSI disability benefits for her. I also got WIC, which covered her expensive prescription formula.
When she turned 1, I got a retail job that worked with my schedule. She was more stable, and her grandmother, despite working overnights herself offered to help during the day. I only made $9/hour, but because of Medicaid and SSI, I could afford rent and food.
Around that time I consolidated my student loans and was able to enter an income-driven plan. My monthly payment? $0.
When she was 3, I became full-time at my job. I finally had employer-sponsored health insurance. That became her primary coverage; Medicaid became secondary. Which meant we had a safety net.
By age 6, she no longer qualified for Medicaid or SSI. For the first time we had to rely solely on my insurance. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, she couldn’t be denied coverage for a pre-existing condition and we didn't have to worry about lifetime caps.
A few years later, no longer a single mom, I got pregnant again — a wanted and cherished pregnancy.
At 13 weeks, I started bleeding. The ER confirmed: the fetus had stopped growing two weeks earlier.
My body hadn’t realized it.
The next day, my OB gave me three options:
1. D&C
2. Medication
3. Wait it out, with the possibility of still needing intervention.
I chose the D&C. A medical abortion — because my body didn’t recognize the miscarriage. People say, “That’s not an abortion.” But medically, it is. And in a post-Roe world, women are being denied care like mine unless they're actively dying.
I now pay more in taxes than I used to earn in a whole year.
And you know what?
I want my money to help people.
I want it to fund Medicaid, WIC, SSI, Planned Parenthood and all of the other programs that improve the lives of Americans.
Because I’ve lived it.
Because healthcare, housing, and food are human rights.
Full stop."
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