{"id":1474,"date":"2016-09-15T08:30:06","date_gmt":"2016-09-15T12:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.themspress.org\/blog\/?p=1474"},"modified":"2016-09-15T09:36:57","modified_gmt":"2016-09-15T13:36:57","slug":"why-i-stand-with-planned-parenthood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themspress.org\/blog\/why-i-stand-with-planned-parenthood\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I Stand with Planned Parenthood"},"content":{"rendered":"

After writing \u201c Storytelling and Patient Advocacy,\u201d I cuddled up to a cup of warm coffee and reflected on the various moments in my life that inspired me or motivated me to take action. I thought about my story; why I applied to medical school and why I have certain research interests. Then I asked why I want to improve access to and the quality of reproductive health care. Immediately I thought about the question friends and family frequently ask me: \u201cWhy would you support Planned Parenthood if you want to help women?\u201d My answer is this story:<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As a third year medical student who will soon be applying to an obstetrics and gynecology residency, I am afraid.\u00a0 The recent violence in my community and continued aggression against Planned Parenthood suggests that aligning oneself with the organization is risky.\u00a0 Becoming an obstetrician gynecologist (OB\/GYN) has been my dream since elementary school, so I feel anxious when family members share concerns that publicly supporting Planned Parenthood ensures I will not match to an OB\/GYN program. \u00a0Will standing with Planned Parenthood keep me out of a program?\u00a0 Is it OK to discuss abortion training on a residency interview?\u00a0 Or do I need to use code like, \u201cWhat family planning training opportunities are available?\u201d\u00a0 And in light of the attack on the clinic in Colorado, is my life in danger?\u00a0 A pro-reproductive rights provider and avid supporter of Planned Parenthood wrote to me, stating that she is afraid to rotate at their clinics for fear of an attack.\u00a0 She hauntingly added, \u201cThe terrorism is working.\u201d\u00a0 I almost never employ self-censorship, yet I too hesitated to continue to develop a professional relationship with Planned Parenthood.\u00a0 Even scarier is to discuss that affiliation publicly.\u00a0 A friend reminded me that in times of confusion or fear, it is best to have a mantra that can elicit courage.\u00a0 My inner voice reminds me, \u201cBe a rock star woman.\u201d<\/p>\n

A couple years ago, after my reproductive and endocrinology module, and after being influenced by readings about sexually transmitted disease (STD) pathology, I requested a full STD screen during my annual well-woman exam. The nurse told me, \u201cWe don\u2019t do that here. You\u2019ll have to go somewhere like Planned Parenthood.\u201d\u00a0 I left embarrassed and did not follow-up with another clinic.\u00a0 Enter my third year clerkships when, on a pediatric service, my team treated a 15 year old female who was 21 weeks pregnant presenting with \u201cvaginal pain and fainting during sex.\u201d \u00a0I was ecstatic to finally manage an obstetrics (OB) case, and I excitedly took a medical history.\u00a0 While writing my notes, I overheard a group of nurses say that this girl would not have \u201cgotten herself pregnant\u201d if she knew how to use a condom.\u00a0 I interjected that the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology now recommends long-acting intrauterine devices (IUDs) as the leading contraceptive option for adolescents because it is the most effective, safe, private, and does not rely on user consistency (ACOG, 2012).\u00a0 Three nurses and a resident mistakenly retorted that IUDs cannot be given to adolescents or females who have not been pregnant due to increased risks to the uterus.\u00a0 Because an intrauterine device is placed\u00a0inside of the uterus during an office pelvic exam and contains a small string that trails into the vagina, old theories warned about uterine perforation, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), and subsequent infertility.\u00a0 They are wrong.\u00a0 There are no cases of infertility following IUD use, no increased absolute risks for PID, and minimal incidence of uterine perforation (ACOG, 2012; ARHP, 2015). \u00a0Shockingly, this has been known in the medical community for more than a decade, yet there continues to be widespread ignorance about it among healthcare professionals.<\/p>\n

I observed a similar case during a later clinical experience.\u00a0 I listened to the physician refuse an IUD to a young woman with a history of unintended pregnancies based on his belief that adolescents are promiscuous and will develop pelvic infections. \u00a0His words, \u201cWe don\u2019t offer those here.\u00a0 You\u2019ll have to go somewhere else like Planned Parenthood.\u201d\u00a0 Do you see the pattern?\u00a0 It is no secret that judgement, ignorance, and prejudice exist in healthcare.\u00a0\u00a0 What is a medical student to do when faced with blatant disregard for clinical guidelines and scientific evidence that has been undisputed by science for over a decade?\u00a0 I decided to contribute to the advancement of research and education by volunteering with Planned Parenthood, an organization that provides safe, up-to-date, and judgement-free care.<\/p>\n

I regularly volunteer at Planned Parenthood as a patient escort, walking patients from their vehicles to the clinic doors.\u00a0 Let me set the scene.\u00a0 My local office is visited by anywhere from three to more than twenty protestors daily.\u00a0 They stand on the sidewalk mostly shouting and waving signs at passing cars.\u00a0 A few people silently pray with a rosary.\u00a0 The first time I arrived, I had to excuse myself to the restroom because the hateful screams of \u201cBaby killer with blood all over your hands!\u201d were too shocking for me to bear.\u00a0 Eventually I became better equipped to disregard protestors. However, that took time, and if I, a student medical provider, was mortified when my gynecologist\u2019s office told me to go to Planned Parenthood for a standard STD screen, can you imagine the emotions a young patient experiences when walking from their car at a Planned Parenthood clinic, listening to protestors scream?\u00a0 So I stand for hours in front of a Planned Parenthood clinic, deflecting the endless onslaught of insulting remarks, in the hopes that people can feel a little more secure receiving an STD screen, a pap smear, an IUD placement, or yes, an abortion.<\/p>\n

The fact remains that Planned Parenthood is a leading provider of reproductive health care services.\u00a0 A central focus is prevention, encompassing STD and cancer screening as well as contraception.\u00a0 They provide prenatal services and references for those choosing to pursue adoption, in addition to abortion services and other reproductive health care.\u00a0 The Guttmacher Institute, another source of global sexual and reproductive health, reported in July 2015 that half of all pregnancies each year (greater than 3 million) are unintended; the same statistic that has existed for two decades (Guttmacher, 2015).\u00a0 More than half of women of reproductive age (13-44 years old; 38 million) need contraceptive services, and 20 million of those women require publicly funded services and supplies.\u00a0 In addition, the average Planned Parenthood health center serves significantly more women seeking contraceptive services than all other publicly-funded safety-net clinics.<\/p>\n

An interview on Fresh Air with Jonathan Eig, author of The Birth of the Pill: How Four Crusaders Reinvented Sex and Launched a Revolution, made me think more about Planned Parenthood\u2019s role in women\u2019s health care.\u00a0 In the book he describes the challenges scientists and Margaret Sanger faced when trying to develop a \u201cmagic pill that would allow women to control when and if they got pregnant\u201d\u2014Wouldn\u2019t that be great?\u00a0 Oh wait, we thankfully have that now in pill, patch, injection, implant, and intrauterine device forms.\u00a0 The developers of the pill studied progesterone\u2019s effect on inhibiting ovulation under the guise that they were studying infertility treatment.\u00a0 I wonder if the current, hostile climate surrounding Planned Parenthood will later be compared to the ludicrousness of 1950s-era United States, when our country outlawed female contraception, while allowing men to easily purchase condoms.\u00a0 When I learn about the backlash surrounding the development of birth control, arguably the most important invention of the 20th<\/sup> century, how could I let threats prevent me from supporting an organization that is one of the few to consistently provide safe and evidence-based services without judgement?\u00a0 The answer is, I cannot.\u00a0 My career goal is to help women access and achieve the best reproductive care.\u00a0 That is why I stand with Planned Parenthood.<\/p>\n

References:<\/p>\n

American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology. (2012). ACOG committee opinion no. 539: Adolescents and Long-Acting Reversible Contraception: Implants and Intrauterine Devices. Obstet Gynecol. 117(6):1472-83.<\/p>\n

Association of Reproductive Health Professionals (2015). The Facts About Intrauterine Contraception [Fact Sheet]. Retrieved from http:\/\/www.arhp.org\/Publications-and-Resources\/Clinical-Fact-Sheets\/The-Facts-About-Intrauterine-Contraception-<\/a><\/p>\n

Guttmacher Institute. (2015). Publicly Funded Family Planning Services in the United States <\/em>[Fact Sheet]. Retrieved from http:\/\/www.guttmacher.org\/pubs\/fb_contraceptive_serv.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Featured image:
\nMe (far left) escorting guests to the annual Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida Fundraising Gala.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After writing \u201c Storytelling and Patient Advocacy,\u201d I cuddled up to a cup of warm coffee and reflected on the various moments in my life that inspired me or motivated me to take action. I thought about my story; why I applied to medical school and why I have certain research interests. Then I asked […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":1475,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[15,9],"tags":[405,404],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themspress.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1474"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themspress.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themspress.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themspress.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themspress.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1474"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.themspress.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1474\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1476,"href":"https:\/\/www.themspress.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1474\/revisions\/1476"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themspress.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1475"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themspress.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themspress.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themspress.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}