Archive for the ‘Patients: News, Stories, and Comments’ Category

If you’ve been checking out our patient forum, you may have already seen a post in Share My Story by use2be.  Her story is one that is not that uncommon -  an anti-choice person finds herself facing an unintended and unwanted pregnancy. 

Sometimes like use2be, the anti-choice person decides her best choice would be to have an abortion.  She may reconsider her belief system and become pro-choice.
  
  “My views and opinions are now very different and I feel very blessed and very glad that women still have a choice”

Or she may not.  In an article, “The Only Moral Abortion is My Abortion,”  Joyce Arthur collects and shares stories of anti-choice women who’ve sought abortion care. 

Here’s an excerpt from her article:

“I’ve had several cases over the years in which the anti-abortion patient had rationalized in one way or another that her case was the only exception, but the one that really made an impression was the college senior who was the president of her campus Right-to-Life organization, meaning that she had worked very hard in that organization for several years. As I was completing her procedure, I asked what she planned to do about her high office in the RTL organization. Her response was a wide-eyed, ‘You’re not going to tell them, are you!?’ When assured that I was not, she breathed a sigh of relief, explaining how important that position was to her and how she wouldn’t want this to interfere with it.”

Whether or not an anti-choice woman reconsiders her belief system, she is still able to have the choice.  Thanks to the millions of pro-choice activists, voters, legislators, and providers who work to protect and provide that right.  THANKS to all of them and all of you!   

With the Stupak ammendment advancing the anti-choice position, it is more important than ever for all of us to stand up for women’s rights.

Planned Parenthood believes in compassionate care for all women when making life’s most profound decisions.

From the Frontline- by Health Care Assistant, Mary Beth

Chapel Hill Health Center

I remember this strong statement at the beginning of my career from a patient who was 19 years old. During the medical consultation before her abortion, she asked me about birth control, the menstrual cycle, reproduction, and sexually transmitted infections.  After her questions were answered, she said that what I had told her in 20 minutes was more than what she had learned in a lifetime from her parents and the abstinence-only sex education mandated in North Carolina.

I’ve heard many girls and women voice the same sentiments during my time here at Planned Parenthood.  Most of the teens I speak to don’t know what methods of birth control are available, how conception happens, or how their menstrual cycle works. Few know how sexually transmitted infections are spread between sexual partners and don’t use condoms during sex.  Many are clueless and ashamed because no one has told them about how, scientifically, a woman becomes pregnant, a person gets HIV, or a man contracts Chlamydia. However, when a young woman finds out they are pregnant or have an STI, they receive judgment and condemnation instead of support and compassion. A lot of people think that if they don’t talk about it, teenagers won’t have sex.  But the truth is that teens deserve to know about all methods of birth control and STI prevention so they can protect their sexual health before they are trapped by life-long consequences.

It is our responsibility as parents, teachers, and health care providers to provide a safe place for teens to talk about the risks involved with unhealthy relationships, sexually transmitted infections, and unplanned pregnancies. If we don’t teach teenagers that they deserve a partner who will treat them with respect in regards to their emotional, physical, and sexual health, we have no one to blame but ourselves when our young adults don’t have the tools to make healthy decisions.