I am a successful woman.
At least I'm on my way there.
I'm a college and law school graduate. I'm an attorney. I've won awards, started my own law practice, moved on to work with an amazing law firm, and I work very, very hard. I'm a Christian, even though I don't attend Church as much as I should. I save money and dream about the day when I will be done paying off student loans. I enjoy a little bit of trash TV, a lot of NPR, and believe you can never stop learning.
And I support Planned Parenthood.
I'll admit that I am disturbed over the recent videos regarding the sale of aborted babies' body parts. At first, I really hoped I'd read a Snopes.com article about how the footage was made up by some right-wing crazy conservative anti-abortion group. But that article didn't come. And I still stand by my decision to support Planned Parenthood.
When it comes to abortions, we need to do better for both the women undergoing abortions and the lives that won't come into being because of the procedure. What we can't do is allow the misguided activities of one center to negate the immense amount of good Planned Parenthood does for society. Planned Parenthood isn't just a place women go for abortions; it's a place we go for medicine, gynecological exams, breast exams, and help when we're at the most terrifying point in our lives. It's a place where women learn about and take care of their bodies, which-- in my opinion-- are pretty amazing. And now, with the calls for #defundplannedparenthood, #StoPP, and especially #womenbetrayed I think it's time I shared the story of how they helped me.
After law school, at 26 years old, despite being a successful student and following all of the "rules" life put out for me, I didn't have the big lawyer job. I was self employed, with very little money, and struggling to make ends meet. I was balancing the needs of my law practice with my personal financial needs, and I was flailing. Some months, I chose to pay my malpractice insurance; others I had to pay my health insurance (yup, I was on "Obamacare" and yup, it sucked and I hated it, so remember this when you accuse me of being a raging liberal).
I have been on hormonal birth control since I was 12 and a half years old. I had to go on birth control pills (BCP) to regulate my whiplash-inducing mood swings, the cramps that were so bad I would vomit, and the resulting school I was missing.
At 26, I began getting debilitating migraines around "that time." My new primary care physician in Richmond (whom, let me remind you, I could barely afford) looked over my chart, and-- due to several factors-- very seriously told me that birth control pills were not the best option for me. She pulled me off immediately, and recommended a hormonal IUD.
For those of you who don't know, an IUD can cost anywhere from $450--$1000 plus the cost of the appointment, follow up care, etc. Facing this enormous expenditure as I was trying to figure out how to pay this month's malpractice insurance was terrifying. I remembered how without my BCP, I could barely make it to school, yet here I was with that option taken away from me. I feared how ill I would become once I was off of my BCP, and remembered the long nights spent crying in pain. I didn't have time for that at this point in my life-- people depended on me!
I tried to find providers in the area with availability to see me, but none of them had appointments for at least a month. And that was just for the initial consult! Time was ticking.
That's when I made my appointment with Planned Parenthood.
They saw me immediately-- as in within 4 days . They were patient with me when I told them I was terrified. They were firm in making sure I made my own decision. There were no frills, and some poor male med student was watching (high five to Alex or whatever your name was, and thanks for making sure I didn't hyperventilate!). But the doctor was understanding and the nurses were kind.
And I was covered. And I walked out of there tremendously relieved.
I share this story because I support the work Planned Parenthood does for women in America. I have never had to use their abortion services, and I honestly don't know what I would do if I were in that position. However, I do know that many women would have illegal medical procedures resulting in infections, incomplete abortions, or death of both mother and fetus. Women like me-- an upper middle class, white female-- wouldn't have access to medications and services that we couldn't afford as a broke 20-something. We are successful doctors, lawyers, and business women;women who can't imagine bringing another child into the world to be abused, neglected, or hungry every night; women who were raped; women who simply can't do it; women who are trying to make a place in this world. Desperation makes us do things we never imagined.
I don't think anyone LIKES abortion. Who gets joy out of having to terminate a pregnancy? I don't think the doctors, nurses, and staff at Planned Parenthood walk into work every day hoping to do an abortion. I don't think they get a kick out of the emotional warfare abortion services cause. I think they realize the alternative, and the rights a woman should have to her body, and they keep fighting to protect women and provide them with the medical care they need.
Does Planned Parenthood need to do better? Absolutely. Should we completely cut off the only source of gynecological care used by millions of American women? Absolutely not. Nothing is worth that.
Please consider my story.
At least I'm on my way there.
I'm a college and law school graduate. I'm an attorney. I've won awards, started my own law practice, moved on to work with an amazing law firm, and I work very, very hard. I'm a Christian, even though I don't attend Church as much as I should. I save money and dream about the day when I will be done paying off student loans. I enjoy a little bit of trash TV, a lot of NPR, and believe you can never stop learning.
And I support Planned Parenthood.
I'll admit that I am disturbed over the recent videos regarding the sale of aborted babies' body parts. At first, I really hoped I'd read a Snopes.com article about how the footage was made up by some right-wing crazy conservative anti-abortion group. But that article didn't come. And I still stand by my decision to support Planned Parenthood.
When it comes to abortions, we need to do better for both the women undergoing abortions and the lives that won't come into being because of the procedure. What we can't do is allow the misguided activities of one center to negate the immense amount of good Planned Parenthood does for society. Planned Parenthood isn't just a place women go for abortions; it's a place we go for medicine, gynecological exams, breast exams, and help when we're at the most terrifying point in our lives. It's a place where women learn about and take care of their bodies, which-- in my opinion-- are pretty amazing. And now, with the calls for #defundplannedparenthood, #StoPP, and especially #womenbetrayed I think it's time I shared the story of how they helped me.
After law school, at 26 years old, despite being a successful student and following all of the "rules" life put out for me, I didn't have the big lawyer job. I was self employed, with very little money, and struggling to make ends meet. I was balancing the needs of my law practice with my personal financial needs, and I was flailing. Some months, I chose to pay my malpractice insurance; others I had to pay my health insurance (yup, I was on "Obamacare" and yup, it sucked and I hated it, so remember this when you accuse me of being a raging liberal).
I have been on hormonal birth control since I was 12 and a half years old. I had to go on birth control pills (BCP) to regulate my whiplash-inducing mood swings, the cramps that were so bad I would vomit, and the resulting school I was missing.
At 26, I began getting debilitating migraines around "that time." My new primary care physician in Richmond (whom, let me remind you, I could barely afford) looked over my chart, and-- due to several factors-- very seriously told me that birth control pills were not the best option for me. She pulled me off immediately, and recommended a hormonal IUD.
For those of you who don't know, an IUD can cost anywhere from $450--$1000 plus the cost of the appointment, follow up care, etc. Facing this enormous expenditure as I was trying to figure out how to pay this month's malpractice insurance was terrifying. I remembered how without my BCP, I could barely make it to school, yet here I was with that option taken away from me. I feared how ill I would become once I was off of my BCP, and remembered the long nights spent crying in pain. I didn't have time for that at this point in my life-- people depended on me!
I tried to find providers in the area with availability to see me, but none of them had appointments for at least a month. And that was just for the initial consult! Time was ticking.
That's when I made my appointment with Planned Parenthood.
They saw me immediately-- as in within 4 days . They were patient with me when I told them I was terrified. They were firm in making sure I made my own decision. There were no frills, and some poor male med student was watching (high five to Alex or whatever your name was, and thanks for making sure I didn't hyperventilate!). But the doctor was understanding and the nurses were kind.
And I was covered. And I walked out of there tremendously relieved.
I share this story because I support the work Planned Parenthood does for women in America. I have never had to use their abortion services, and I honestly don't know what I would do if I were in that position. However, I do know that many women would have illegal medical procedures resulting in infections, incomplete abortions, or death of both mother and fetus. Women like me-- an upper middle class, white female-- wouldn't have access to medications and services that we couldn't afford as a broke 20-something. We are successful doctors, lawyers, and business women;women who can't imagine bringing another child into the world to be abused, neglected, or hungry every night; women who were raped; women who simply can't do it; women who are trying to make a place in this world. Desperation makes us do things we never imagined.
I don't think anyone LIKES abortion. Who gets joy out of having to terminate a pregnancy? I don't think the doctors, nurses, and staff at Planned Parenthood walk into work every day hoping to do an abortion. I don't think they get a kick out of the emotional warfare abortion services cause. I think they realize the alternative, and the rights a woman should have to her body, and they keep fighting to protect women and provide them with the medical care they need.
Does Planned Parenthood need to do better? Absolutely. Should we completely cut off the only source of gynecological care used by millions of American women? Absolutely not. Nothing is worth that.
Please consider my story.
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speaking of NPR...the Diane Rehm show last Friday had some great insights on the PP video. while there's no snopes to explain it away, it was cut and edited in the most sensational fashion and the full length video does provide some additional context that the edited version leaves out. a caller also pointed out that medical professionals discuss things like this differently and in a very straightforward way, because they are surrounded by it every day. not a justification, but something to remind us that we are all human and context is important. i'm proud of you for supporting PP and making informed decisions for your health and your body and being an advocate for all women to do so! you are a rockstar Caroline!
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