Planned Parenthood Fights Back With Compassionate Care

Transcript: 

I knew that I wanted to be an ob-gyn when I was in medical school. I think it was really eye-opening for me, moving to Kentucky and doing my medical training there, to see how different the perspective on sexual health was — also how hard it is to access medical care. 

Part of I think what helps you to fall in love with your job as a physician is if you find a specialty that you actually really find easy to talk about, you find it easy to explain. 

I found it really easy to talk about sex — and a lot of people don’t — and it seemed like a void that needed to be filled because lots of people didn’t want to talk about it, and I was certainly willing to. 

I feel most empowered in my professional life, most of the time — I will probably start crying when I talk about this, so — I am honored to help women achieve their goals. That is the highlight of my day.

Transcript: 

Patient: Personal health just means taking care of yourself. Some of the aspects that I’d like to learn about Planned Parenthood revolve around the interaction of what it would be to book an appointment with Planned Parenthood — because I’ve never done so. 

A lot of their motives seem to be centered around people's general health and well-being — and just being responsible for your personal health and not having any shame or any guilt or any fear revolving around getting a test or booking an appointment, because it’s being responsible and it’s a necessity. 

Doctor: Have you ever been tested before?

Patient: No.

Doctor. Okay.

Patient: So I’m opening up my first results… It’s looking pretty good …. and it’s super convenient. It’s online. 

Altogether it was a really easy process. I think sexual health and sexual history … is still something uncomfortable for people to talk about — and so I do think those are important conversations to have.

I’m feeling like a responsible adult right now.

Transcript: 

I’ve always wanted to live and write in New York City, ever since I wrote in those tiny plastic diaries when I was kid. But New York seemed so far away …. and that dream just kind of seemed impossible. 

People who didn’t appreciate my decision to have an abortion or thought that it was wrong asked me all the time, “Well, now that you’re a mom and you know what it’s like would you ever go back, do you ever feel guilty?”

And I do — and I would go back. I would do it all over again — I would just take the time to stop and thank my doctors. Packing up my life in Seattle and moving to New York City...

I know that the choice that I made when I was 23 to not be a mother — because I knew I wasn’t ready and I knew I wasn’t able — it’s made me a better mom now and to be the woman that I have always wanted to be, and not only do that for myself but be able to show my son that this is what is possible for women when they are granted the ability to make their own choices. 

The idea that one day my son’s going to listen to what I’ve said or read what I’ve written and know that he has a mom who stands up for herself and others gives me the most joy and makes everything that I went through worth it.