First Person: A Patient Advocate Shares How Title X Helped Her Get Lifesaving Care

It happened to me — right as I was getting treatment from a private doctor for severe pre-cancerous cells in my cervix. I couldn’t afford the follow-up appointment to ensure that the treatment worked. I planned to skip it, but the doctor said I’d be putting my life at risk. 

Thankfully, Planned Parenthood was there for me and my appointment was covered by Title X — the only federal program dedicated to affordable birth control and reproductive health care. Thanks to Title X, I got critical health care when I needed it. So it was a direct attack on patients like me when Trump’s gag rule forced community health care providers like Planned Parenthood health centers out of the Title X program. And every day it remains in place, people are forced to go without the care they need.  

Health care should never be a luxury.

Title X protects people who can’t afford health care. I thought I had to make a decision between my health and paying my bills., Title X came through for me in a moment when I had no other options. 

The Title X gag rule has got to go! If it’s repealed, community health care providers like Planned Parenthood can rejoin the program and have honest, comprehensive conversations with their patients. The gag rule discriminates against patients who can’t afford health care. It must be repealed SWIFTLY so people can make choices about their bodies and their health. For some, it really could be a matter of life or death.