Visited Planned Parenthood

As many of you know, many Planned Parenthood clinics have been forced to shut their doors or reduce hours here in Texas. So getting an appointment is difficult. If the ruling stands, it is my understanding that as of November first WHP patients will need to find another clinic to go to. That includes me.

The problem is, there aren't enough providers. My own hometown will suffer, "Lubbock County providers would need to expand by 250% if the Planned Parenthood affiliate was excluded." -GWU study, original story published at reality check. http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/article/2012/10/11/tk-gwu-study-on-texas-whp

Having visited this location many times for my annual visits this location was often very busy. There are not enough providers to take in these women. This includes friends and family that I know whom has also relied on the Lubbock Planned Parenthood for services. It is a place they trust. But some people, such as Rick Perry and HHSC think that they should not be allowed to go there and that no care is better than the care Planned Parenthood provided. Will they say that? Of course not, they will sugar coat it and say that women can go to other providers. But there aren't enough. There is also no reason that demonstrates Planned Parenthood as an inept provider. However, Rick Perry seems to think that including Crisis Pregnancy Centers will help. They do not provide medical care. I will talk about this specifically shortly.

I visited a Planned Parenthood today. Like most women who go there, I am enrolled in WHP, and I go there for my annual cancer screenings because otherwise I cannot afford them. I am not lazy, or irresponsible as people might assume since I get WHP. I am a student, working hard to graduate so I can one day afford health insurance. But I will want WHP and Planned Parenthood to be there for women like me when I have health insurance.

As I drove up I saw a bill board that said "take my hand, not my life". I was thinking about how irrelevant this is to passers by. I was just there for my annual visit, hoping I don't have any abnormalities that might be indicators of something wrong, like cervical cancer.

I saw a woman praying outside the gate. I was praying that I have a healthy test and that I won't have to worry about cervical cancer at 25, like my mom had to. Was she praying for me and the other women inside? Probably. But I doubt she was praying that I'd have a healthy pap and no signs of cancer or abnormal cells.