yesterday i donated to an organization that should have received some support from me a long time ago. i donated to planned parenthood.

the past couple days have generated a lot of press for PP and the Susan G. Komen foundation. i saw lots and lots of outraged voices flying around on the internet and it seems to have had the desired effect. SGK decided not to pull the funding from planned parenthood and we all breathed a sigh of relief.

but it got me thinking about the struggles planned parenthood has had to face in these past few years. if we learned anything from 2011 in regards to our government and large institutions it’s that we have to support things our own damn selves if we believe in them and so i put my money in their pockets. not a large sum, but every bit will help, right?

the fiery issues around planned parenthood stem from abortion. and that seems to be all the general public focuses on with PP without remembering how much more they offer. and that’s where i would like to share my personal story.

Planned Parenthood has been there for me many times over the years. it provided me with reproductive care and low-cost birth control options while i was on a college student’s budget. PP also provided me with care and counseling during the year i went without health insurance when i left my job to be a stay at home mom before i was elligible for coverage under mike’s plan. and here’s the big one for me:

Planned Parenthood was there for me when i miscarried my second pregnancy while i was uninsured.

i think back now on that experience and know that i am truly grateful i had an organization that i could trust as the first place i went when i realized i miscarried. to a woman in my position, having that kind of health care access is priceless when you are in an emotionally and physically fragile state.

i know there are far too many people out there who would count me as white trash, a sinner and undeserving or treatment because i became pregnant before i was married. but i don’t view myself that way. i view my family and i as a pretty normal slice of the american population – well-educated, middle class and has had to rely on help to get through a crisis.

my opinion is that we need to protect planned parenthood for the sake of our daughters, for the women in this country who are just like me. PP is needed now more than ever as more of the population is suffering the loss of jobs and healthcare benefits. i think about all the friends i’ve had in my life that relied on PP. i think of all the women i’ve sat in waiting rooms with. i think of all the jittery-handed college guys waiting for their test results that also populated those waiting rooms and I remember that men need planned parenthood, too.

it is such a shame that all the other services PP provides are disregarded because of the select few locations that offer abortions.

my opinion is that i get to make my own reproductive health choices and THAT’S IT. i can’t believe in passing a law that judges another woman without being in her shoes. my opinion is that the larger picture at stake is giving the government power and legal precedent over our bodies. my opinion is that abortion was/is never an option for me but far be it from me to make a decision for the 13-year-old carrying her own father’s child, the mother of 4 who says 5 would be just too much to handle, the college student who knows her family would cast her off forever.

my opinion is that until we can not only offer but GUARANTEE safe and adequate care for every mother and child during pregnancy, labor, and postpartum and support in their home lives then women NEED TO HAVE A CHOICE.  with failing healthcare systems, a maternal and infant mortality rate that is much, much too high and battered women + children homes packed across the country, i’d say that we’re a society far from meeting the needs of mothers adequately.

and that’s why we need a choice. over our bodies and a choice to visit planned parenthood.

if you’ve ever sought service from planned parenthood maybe you should think about giving. if you’ve ever taken your daughter there so she could get on the pill and make it through high school and college without becoming a young mother then maybe you should think about giving. if you’d like your daughters/nieces/granddaughters/friends to have an option for low-cost reproductive health, maybe you should think about giving. if you sent around a message knocking SGK for not supporting planned parenthood then maybe you should think about giving. even if it’s only once. even if it’s only $5.