My first year out of college, I was poor. Hampered with mountains of debt and lacking health insurance, I went to my local Planned Parenthood to pick up birth control. “I hope no one gets the wrong idea,” I thought as I walked in.
I felt reassured to see a number of other people there to use the clinic’s services; still, I choked on my words a bit when I stated what I was there for. My uneasiness was quelled when the genial nurse promptly supplied me with not only a prescription for and an ample supply of birth control pills, but also a few packages of Plan B—the “morning after” pill. I was handily reminded that there is no shame in requesting basic health services.
One year and levels of maturity later, I no longer feel embarrassed about requesting birth control. As a Planned Parenthood volunteer, however, I am constantly reminded of how politically loaded something as fundamental as basic health care can be. “No, I don’t perform abortions,” I often find myself drolly replying to friends’ concerned looks when I mention I’m a volunteer.
Even some of my fellow volunteers seem to be stuck on the stigma surrounding Planned Parenthood. “Fortunately, I’ve never had to use its services myself,” one volunteer said recently, explaining he was involved because of his “ideological” and “intellectual” interests. I bristled at the comment. Certainly, there are some services Planned Parenthood provides that one may be “fortunate” to not need— but less than 10 percent of Planned Parenthood clients receive abortion services. More importantly, I had used the organization’s services—and I found that to be very fortunate.
As my fellow volunteer spoke of his reasons for getting involved, I realized what mine were. Thirty-four years ago, the Supreme Court decided that a woman’s right to choose must be protected. Yet, the topic of reproductive health remains controversial because it is consistently framed in a moral and political light. This overshadows what it’s really about— medical necessities and legal rights. Furthermore, grand opinions on philosophical notions such as “the right to life” only complicate the discussion surrounding reproductive issues far less contentious than abortion, such as birth control or the newly-discovered HPV vaccine.
I suppose I volunteer because I’d like to help reframe the discussion about reproductive rights. Once people stop speaking of “birth control” and “abortion” in hushed tones, as if passing moral judgment on anyone associated with those words should be a given, then I will feel like my reproductive rights are fully protected.
