Richards: “Women are
very worried …”
KINGSTON – Six women held a round-table discussion in Kingston Tuesday evening, attempting to counter political Congressional opposition targeting Planned Parenthood.
In March, provisions buried in the American Health Care Act attempted
to defund Planned Parenthood – potentially cutting off 100,000 New
Yorkers from reproductive health care, according to organizers.
The bill was pulled from the House floor due to lack of support. However, Republican supporters of the AHCA, including local Congressman John Faso, maintain a de facto majority, posing a continued threat, Planned Parenthood supporters claim.
Cecile Richards, president of the national organization, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, joined Planned Parenthood of the Mid Hudson Valley President Ruth-Ellen Blodgett, to hear the personal stories of three patients and a local nurse practitioner.
“I am here, and really so excited, to get to hear first-hand, from our patients and our health care providers, and from you Ruth-Ellen, about the important care we provide in New York State,” Richards said. “Planned Parenthood isn’t the problem. Actually Planned Parenthood is the solution. At a moment in time in which access to affordable high-quality healthcare is timely, it is important because we were able to stop the most recent effort to end access to care at Planned Parenthood, it’s not the last time.”
The meeting, in a small room, packed with mostly, but not entirely, women
The meeting took place at a small conference room inside the Planned Parenthood clinic in Midtown Kingston. About 50 onlookers observed, by invitation, including officials from other nearby regional chapters.
“I go for my annual [exam], or when I have something unusual,” explained Planned Parenthood patient Jasmine Shea, 32, of Albany. “I never had an abortion. I feel like what I jokingly say is a Republican unicorn; they don’t believe I exist, because they think that’s what Planned Parenthood always does.”
People come to Planned Parenthood for common problems like urinary tract and yeast infections, Shea noted.
“It’s amazing how all my guy friends ask me about all that stuff, because they have no idea. So I know the guys in Washington have no idea how a uterus works; it’s mind boggling,” she laughed.
Nationwide, only two percent of Planned Parenthood patients get abortions. The vast majority receive preventive health care. In New York State, 58 health centers field 320,000 office visits per year including 400,000 sexually transmitted infection screenings.
According to the American Medical Association, if the 2.5 million Planned Parenthood clients lost their provider, the national health care system would become swamped, Richards indicated.
Heather Kamin, a Middleburg English teacher, recalled a routine check-up at Planned Parenthood which uncovered a serious condition that might have killed her, if left undetected. “I don’t think women’s health care should be political; it’s a right, and we need Planned Parenthood,” Kamin maintained.
Tuesday’s event was hosted by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the political arm of the group.
“Women are very worried about the attacks on their health care, their access to Planned Parenthood, coverage for family planning, maternity benefits, all of the things that are currently at risk in Washington, DC,” Richards warned.
