Every day, Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund faces an uphill battle— from fighting the Trump-Pence’s administration’s attacks on reproductive health care at the federal level to helping elect reproductive rights advocates locally, and everything in between. Most casual observers (including myself) see the sustained attacks on abortion access across the country and are concerned. But while many are rightfully focused on abortion bans, lawmakers on all levels are attempting quieter, more insidious attacks on reproductive rights.
Take, for example, the Trump-Pence administration’s Title X gag rule, which rips away access to reproductive healthcare away from millions of low-income people across the country. I’ll admit: before I started as an intern at Planned Parenthood NH Action Fund, I had never heard of the rule — I had never even heard of Title X. But just like the abortion bans, the gag rule impacts real people’s health outcomes.
In response to the gag rule, Planned Parenthood NH Action Fund is fighting to include backup funding in the New Hampshire budget. As a Planned Parenthood intern, I’ve gotten to learn a lot about policies that otherwise would have slipped under the radar and see firsthand how these policies affect both patients and health care providers.
Personally, I’ve always been more interested in the policy side of advocacy— getting into the weeds of reproductive health care policy this summer has only affirmed that. Going forward, I’m excited to continue working in the policy field, and I’m grateful for my time at Planned Parenthood for helping me get a running start.
Tags: Planned Parenthood, #nhpolitics, Intern