Because of Planned Parenthood…
We are the individuals, the couple, the family we are today because of Planned Parenthood. I have not shared much of my political views or religious views on my blog before but this outcry is personal. I am not here to change your political or religious views but rather, give you a look into how Planned Parenthood entered our life about 14 years ago. Woman’s healthcare is under attack and it is time that the country sees this attack.
Let’s go back into time, back to 2002 in rural Nebraska. Let me introduce you to the Censie and Jeremy of the early 2000’s! We were pretty trendy, fun, and ready to get married.
Oh my gosh, look at my hair! It is so bright! Don’t you love looking at old pictures? This particular picture was taken in my dorm room of the college both Jeremy and I attended in Nebraska. We attended a pretty conservative Christian university which as you can imagine made for a lot of strict rules.
After a few months of dating we decided we wanted to get married, yes that fast, no we were not pregnant. We spent the following summer planning our wedding and deciding how we would live while still attending college. It was never a question that both us wanted to graduate with our degrees before making any other big life decisions.
So our big day was pretty amazing. My grandfather, who has since passed away, talked about our big party for years. It was a very special day. We started our life as a married couple by renting our first apartment in Lincoln Nebraska and finding jobs in the city that would work around our school schedules as well. We were busy, but we were doing it. We were totally doing the exact opposite that everyone thought we would be doing. People questioned how we would complete school, how we would make a living and of course get pregnant. Man, people are so nosy. We literally had no desire to have kids at that moment; I was only 20 years old and I had plans!
Well, as I said before, we attended a very conservative university and that was very clear when I first tried to go to the doctor to get on some sort of birth control. while using our health insurance we bought through our university I was denied coverage for any woman’s health care screenings and birth control. I was crushed and confused. We were married and had insurance but could not consummate our marriage with out the worry of me quickly turning into that college dropout.
Now, I was upset about the whole no birth control coverage but I was even more upset about the lack of coverage for any woman’s health checks! Unreal. Instead of letting this affect our marriage we quietly walked into our local Planned Parenthood. To be honest, I was embarrassed, I felt like we were doing something wrong but once we met with the doctors and got my check-up and prescription I knew we made the right decision.
Because of the care I got at Planned Parenthood I was able to know that I was healthy and I was able to be planful about starting a family. With out the help of Planned Parenthood our marriage and life would have played out so different. We waited seven years before having children and that was the best choice for us. It allowed us to graduate college, find our careers, buy a house and even enjoy some great travels as a couple.
Having a safe place for woman’s health care needs is so important. I am thankful for the help we got as a young married couple and I am terrified for the younger generations and what their options will be for situations like ours. We wanted to do it our way, not the conservative married way! Kids are a blessing, but they were not a blessing we were ready for in the moments after getting married. I want all women to have access to services such as well-women checkups, cancer screenings, family planning services and more. These services are absolutely vital and can be life saving in some cases.
The “What Ifs” play in my head a lot:
- What if we had a baby when we were still in college?
- What if we couldn’t afford a child at that moment?
- What if we didn’t have access to family planning and education resources?
- What if I didn’t finish college?
The What Ifs for me were not necessarily life threatening but the fact is, with the defunding of Planned Parenthood there will be a lot of woman facing life threatening issues. This cannot happen. We need options like Planned Parenthood for situations as scary as cancer or as exciting as jumping into a new sexual relationship!
Watch this video from Joss Whedon and share!
What can you do?
Visit here for ways to help protest the health care bill. We cannot live in a country that Planned Parenthood doesn’t exist. The scenarios will be devastating. Learn more facts about Planned Parenthood here.
Tell me your “What If” story with Planned Parenthood.
This post is made possible with support from the Mission List. All opinions are my own.
Planned Parenthood so often gets bad press, that people don't realize there are other services offered there – specifically what you talked about – female healthcare. Coming from someone without any insurance, it's good to know there are places out there that can help!
I think Planned Parenthood is a valuable resource for women. I myself have used them to get PapSmears and birth control. Without them being available I would have been forced to either go without or spend hundreds if not thousands to make sure I was healthy and had adequate birth control. Getting rid of them is definitely not the answer in my eyes.
I have never used Planned Parenthood, but I have heard several people speak of how the organization has helped them. I learned a lot from reading your own personal experience with them. Thank you for being brave enough to share how they helped you at a crucial point in your journey.
I don't know much about Planned Parenthood but your post has shed a lot on the topic/its mission. I definitely see how it could be valuable for women! P.S. What a beautiful wedding photo you have posted.
This is such a well written post. Planned Parenthood totally gets a HUGE bad wrap and there are so many things your post shed light to. So many don't realize that there are other services that help women without costing millions of dollars. This is such a great post.
So sweet to see the two of you as a couple through the years. You're right about all of the services they offer people in all sorts of situations. If you haven't yet, maybe check out Fresh Air from today (6/9/17). Dave Davies interviews the man who wrote "The Secret History of Wonder Woman"
As it turns out Wonder Woman was based on his interest in the women's suffrage movement and also in Margaret Sanger (founder of Planned Parenthood). Margaret was his mistress's aunt. Who knew? x
This was such a sweet story. Back in High School, I found planned parenthood when I was looking to get more information on birth control without having to tell my mom. They took care of me and taught me everything I needed to know about safe sex and contraception. PP is a great agency for women and I will forever be grateful for what they did for me.
I am team Plan Your Parenthood. It really does alarm me that so many people want to govern how women decide to have or prolong children. Its already enough stress as it is but every woman as a right to plan parenthood the way they choose with as many options as they can!