one item for today.
i am grateful for…
1) planned parenthood. they help so many women–and men. i almost burst into tears today when i saw two people on the sidewalk, in planned parenthood baseball jackets–black with hot pink logos–holding clipboards, saying: “do you have a minute to save planned parenthood?” WHAT? that’s like hearing “do you have a minute to save the memory of rosa parks?” or “do you have a minute to save the color yellow?” or the cuteness of puppies, or the wetness of rain? i wanted to sob with the stupid injustice of such a sane, sensible, necessary organization being sacrificed on the altar of politics–politics that are increasingly rabid toward women and women’s health. i’m pretty sure there are some female republicans out there who use birth control. or have cancer that was picked up in a screening. or even know someone with h.i.v. so wtf, dudettes? sisterhood is powerful, even for women in power, in washington.
when i was a young teen and terrified of getting pregnant, i went to planned parenthood in poughkeepsie, new york. i had heard of planned parenthood because i was raised with “our bodies, ourselves” and good health classes. i would have never gone to an unknown doctor’s office, or anywhere that didn’t have this, well, what we would now call a “brand,” of being welcoming to women. i called a cab. i got in with my equally scared, adorable teen boyfriend. we arrived at the slightly scrubby clinic and saw a doctor who hooked me up with some pills. pills helping a young girl to not potentially wreck her life as a consequence of sexual exploration, but also helping a young, cute (god, he was cute) man. they were helping any kid who might be born as a result of me not having those pills. by handing me a disk of meds and a set of instructions, they were also helping my parents. and so on. one girl helped, thousands helped. i remember how smooth, how simple, how affordable it was. how safe i felt with that kind of support, unquestioning. and when i told my mom about it months later, she was relieved. not that i was having sex–probably not so relieved at that, though certainly not surprised. but relieved that i was safe. that i would not have to go through the trauma of the possible consequences of not being safe.
this is not about politics. i saw a posting from a young woman online the other day at a conservative blog. the news that planned parenthood had been denied its funding got a “WOO HOO” out of her. really? some day that chick might need some help. and she just cheered its obliteration. i am grateful for organizations that support women, women’s rights, and women’s health care. family health care. men’s health care. women’s well-being blossoms out to all. i am grateful for the kind lady who examined me that day, who told me how to take those pills, who instructed me gravely, to also use condoms (it was after all, the 80s). and i did (well, mostly). i am grateful that they cared. i am grateful that i felt empowered to care for myself. i am grateful that i stayed unpregnant. i am grateful that i got to explore my sexuality in a safe way, in a loving relationship. i am grateful to not have faced abortion or early parenthood. i am grateful that my government paid for such a thing. paid for my safety, my right to make choices about when to have babies.
to help maintain planned parenthood’s funding when it comes up for a vote in the senate, go here for more info.
