The Irrational Attacks on Planned Parenthood

Posted on April 4, 2011 by kkailas

The Irrational Attacks on Planned Parenthood

At a collaboration meeting the other day, an organization we are trying to partner with told us in no uncertain terms that Planned Parenthood could not be a part of anything we did. Now, I understand that every person and organization is entitled to their own beliefs, and I respect that. I am not writing this because I think I’m on some moral high ground, or that the people who disagree with me are wrong because beliefs are just that – beliefs. They are not based on science or fact, logic or reason, but people still feel that their beliefs are fundamental truths in their own lives, and it is not my place to tell people how to feel.

However, if we could, for a moment examine why people are so vehemently opposed to the work the Planned Parenthood does.  First of all, there’s the pro-life vs. pro-choice debate. Yes, Planned Parenthood provides women with abortions. Are abortions a moral, ethical way to deal with an unplanned pregnancy? I don’t know. If you believe that abortions are wrong, that is your belief, and you are entitled to that, but recognize that other people don’t feel that way, and should be just as entitled as you to feel that way. If you don’t believe in abortions, don’t get one. Why concern yourself with what other people do with their bodies? What business is it of anyone’s except that girl and her partner? Some would argue that it is also, at the very least, God’s business. God wouldn’t want people to get abortions, therefore it is wrong, and so we should fight to stop all abortions. Perhaps.  I haven’t spoken with God about the issue, so I can’t say for sure one way or the other. But again, why concern yourself? Let’s assume, for the moment, that those who argue abortions are an abomination of Gods will are correct. If a person wants to get an abortion, then won’t they be judged by God? If you believe the word of God is to not get abortions, and you want to follow Gods will, then don’t get an abortion. Take care of your own life. Otherwise, let God do the judging and condemning.

Another attack I’ve been hearing recently about Planned Parenthood is that they help pimps of underage prostitutes and sex workers. The organization, Live Action, which “discovered” this, and claimed that Planned Parenthood had a “institutionalized willingness to aid and abet such sex traffickers” failed to mention that shortly after the videos were shot of Planned Parenthood employees supposedly helping these pimps, they (Planned Parenthood) had called the FBI to report suspected sex trafficking. Calling the FBI to report a suspected sex trafficker does not sound like “aiding and abetting” to me.

Lastly, there’s the nonsense of Planned Parenthood using taxpayer dollars to pay for abortions. This is simply not true. Yes Planned Parenthood gets federal funding, and yes they give abortions, but they are NOT allowed to use their federal funding for abortions. There has been an unfortunate trend going on where people post videos online where they talk about how Planned Parenthood provides abortions, and then immediately talk about how much taxpayer money Planned Parenthood receives, without mentioning the divide. This is a scare tactic, a misleading accusation meant to rile up the public against Planned Parenthood by leaving out key facts. This is like me telling everyone that last night Obama told me that he was going to appoint me ultimate ruler of the world, and that my first duty as world ruler would be to hang out with the aliens in area 51 learning about all their super-cool alien technology (they had the iPad 2 months ago). What I’m not telling you is how, right after that happened, my alarm went off, I got out of bed, and got ready for work. Same thing, only mine is more fun.

Contrary to what Abby Johnson says (that 98% of the services provided to pregnant women are for abortions, when in fact abortions only make up 3% of the services they give) Planned Parenthood does so much more than provide abortions. They work hard to avoid giving abortions. A large majority of their budget is used for education and research. They are constantly educating our youth about abstinence, safe sex, and how to use protection. In fact, 83% of the people who walk into a Planned Parenthood clinic will receive services and education on how to prevent an unintended pregnancy. Think about that for a second. Why would Planned Parenthood spend so much if its time and resources trying to prevent people from having unintended pregnancies, if abortions are, as some claim “their main source of corporate income.” When was the last time you walked into a clothing store and they lectured you on the virtues of living in a nudist colony? When was the last time you went to the deli at the supermarket and the butcher talked your ear off about how great it was to be a vegetarian? When you stop to think about it, all of the attacks and arguments against Planned Parenthood begin to break down.

Planned Parenthood does great work, necessary work. They will give you free or cheap condoms and birth control. They will give you free or cheap STD testing. I understand if you believe having an abortion is wrong, but all I ask is that you understand other people don’t believe that abortions are wrong. Planned Parenthood provides a vital health service to so many people who would otherwise not have access to this kind of health care, and it would be a shame if they were unable to keep providing this service because so many people got caught up in the hype, in the irrational attacks on Planned Parenthood.

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True Colors Conference

Posted on March 14, 2011 by kkailas

So this weekend, the Hartford Action Plan and its intrepid staff travelled to Storrs, CT for the 18th annual True Colors Conference to learn how to better serve our LGBTQ community. We took a lot of workshops, networked with a bunch of great people, and learned a ton, (ask me about shrimping) but the thing that was most striking to me was the energy of the students who were there. To see these kids be themselves, without fear of being bullied, to be proud of who they were and not have to hide it, and to see that they were not alone in the world, there was in fact many other people, their own age, who felt the same way they did, who went through the same struggles, you truly got a sense of relief and ecstasy from the students.

While our country continues to struggle with the issues of racism, class-ism, sexism, and homophobia, True Colors is a beacon (rainbow?) of light for all those who feel alone and ostracized in their own communities. This Poster is encouraged that the idea of  “I’ll be me and you be you” (as quoted by one of the straight students at the conference) will continue to spread as more and more people attend conferences like this one.

I don’t think there’s a single person who grows up never being bullied. But its nice to know you aren’t alone. There is strength in numbers and you felt the power of that strength this weekend at True Colors.

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Wu Tang Clan said “Wear a Condom”

Posted on March 10, 2011 by kkailas

Sexual responsibility. If you think you’re old enough to have sex, then you should be old enough, responsible enough to deal with the consequences that can come with having sex.

First of all recognize that consensual sex between two people who are ready and responsible can be a beautiful thing that not only feels good physically, but can also bring two people closer together emotionally. However, understand what you’re getting yourself into – there are very real consequences to having sex, and if you don’t act responsibly, these consequences can affect you for the rest of your life.

Your first responsibility is to protect yourself against sexually transmitted diseases and infections. (STD’s and STI’s) These diseases can be painful, can affect your overall health, to the point of death in some cases. Warts, bumps, sores, and discoloration is simply not sexy. Don’t believe me? Go ask any girl, they’ll tell you the same. That is, if they don’t look at you funny and run away without telling you anything.

Look, all joking aside, this is serious, and probably happens to more people than you think. A recent study shows that perhaps 50% of guys could have HPV. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/01/us-cancer-vaccine-idUSTRE7200CJ20110301

There are many different kinds of HPV, some can cause genital warts, and other can cause cancer. If you’re a guy, you can get cancer of the penis, or you could give it to your partner, and she could get cervical cancer, and never be able to have children. If the risk of penis cancer isn’t enough to convince you to wait until you’re in a committed relationship where both partners have been tested, or to wear a condom every time, you are not ready to be having sex.

http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/stdfact-hpv.htm

HPV is only one of the kinds of STI’s that a person can get, so again, if you’re old enough to have sex, be responsible enough to protect yourself.

Now, accidents happen. Condoms break, in the heat of the moment, you forget or have a moment of weakness. It happens to the best of us, and if it does happen, be responsible. Get yourself tested. A quick internet search will tell you all of the local health clinics that provide such a service. Planned Parenthood will tell you all of their locations by zip code or state, you can remain anonymous, go in with or without insurance, and they will work with you on payments, in many cases providing testing and many other services for free. http://www.plannedparenthood.org/ (Look on the right hand side to find a clinic near you)

If the tests come back positive, you have a third responsibility. It’s important to tell the people you’ve been with about the test results, so that they can get themselves tested. Doesn’t matter if you tell them face to face, email, text, phone or with an anonymous e-card http://www.inspot.org/, but you have to man up, and let them know.

The bottom line here is that not protecting yourself is not acting responsibly. Understand the consequences of your actions, and know how to minimize the risks. Gambling with your life because it might feel a little better? That’s just crazy. Take it from my man Ghostface;

Here, take this raincoat, and practice safe sex

He seemed to ignore, I said be for real

She’s not even worth it, to go raw deal

A man’s gonna do what a man’s gonna do

He got butt-naked and stuck the power U

Twenty minutes went by, my man went out, without a doubt

I’m not pumpin’ up, I am, airin out

Hey yo, he came out laughing with glory

I’m surprised, he’s still livin’, to tell his story

But he carried on, with the same old stuff

with Stephanie, like a whammy, he pressed his luck

Both tried to be down with O.P.P.

Ain’t nuttin’ wrong but he got caught with the H.I.V. now

No life to live, doc says two more years

So after the laughter, I guess comes the tears

 

Wu Tang Clan – 36 Chambers, Tearz (After the Laughter)

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOR3LZGGWHY

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Salt N Pepa said “Let’s Talk About Sex”

Posted on March 9, 2011 by Regina Roundtree

And here at the Hartford Action Plan (HAP), we’re preparing and gathering all the necessary tools and information to do just that– talk about sex.  We care about our community and are putting together programs that will allow us to provide the Hartford community with an array of information about the risks involved when not informed.

Many would agree that bringing the community together is needed so that we can all dialogue about educating our young people about the realities of STI’s [sexually transmitted infections], HIV, as well as the realities surrounding teen pregnancy and parenting.

We won’t berate you with the statistics, however, we will tell you that in Hartford, the numbers for STIs are rising; and now would be a good time to try a new habit, like, informing all you encounter about the consequences of INCONSISTENT contraceptive use, and how it can end in STIs, even HIV.  Let it be known that it is RISKY to NOT use a condom.  Exceptions do apply for those that are in a monogamist relationship who have been tested.

The Hartford Action Plan is here to provide information, so let’s get a conversation started and let’s talk about sex.

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Rally for Planned Parenthood at Wesleyan University

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Regina Roundtree

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2011 Wesleyan University’s Exley Science Center, Middletown, CT

As a staff member of Hartford Action Plan [HAP] I arrived at the rally for Planned Parenthood with a plan to tweet while listening to the speakers, but like the other supporters, all I could do was clap.  Clap more and stand.  Stand and clap when Alice, the WesU student  read us a letter detailing how Planned Parenthood saved her family through providing clinical services that led her mother to redirect and plan… and now… Alice attends Wesleyan University while her mom completes High School.  More clapping as Wesleyan University’s President, Michael Roth, gives an energized speech about the need for continued financial aid support– echoing Alice’s story.

The clapping, the standing continues and Judy Tabar, the President of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England gives some statistics, like nine percent are males, who use their facility in New Haven; then she makes a profound point, asking, ‘who here has used Planned Parenthood or know someone?’  And yes, every hand went up in the filled Science Center Auditorium.  We stood and we clapped as newly elected Senator Richard Blumenthal spoke meaningfully, and as a family man, stating, ‘real lives will be destroyed…  This is not about party; it’s about people of the world’.

Then stood Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Action Fund, donning the pink T-shirt that reads Birth Control Matters — an image of a female posed with jutted hip standing beside the statement.  Ms. Richards advances the charge, lending her adrenalized zeal as she declared ‘Not without a fight… Not on my watch… We are not playing!’  The supporters explode in applause.  She keeps the crowd cheering then closes saying, ‘we are fighting for sexual health information for young people, for LBGTs…’  The supporters jumped to their feet.  Clapping starts as all are directed to grab their signs and head for Church Street.

The interns and organizers at Wesleyan University put together a well paced rally, passion filled, and to-the-point rally for the support of Planned Parenthood.

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Hartford Action Plan – Open House

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Regina Roundtree

Thursday, February 24, 2011, was HAP’s open house.  Members from Hartford’s community based organizations joined HAP’s Board of Directors, Executive Director and new staff of Community & Program Facilitators for an early evening of introductions, photography, light appetizers and old school getting-to-know-yous.  Talk of the latest headlines and what’s in the works traveled the halls of HAP’s new location, as staff took each guest on a tour of the office space.  What was, and is still the most memorable part of the evening, was bringing each guest to the conference to meet and mingle with the joyous tone of hooray! for the resurgence of Hartford Action Plan’s Breaking The Cycle of Babies Having Babies Having Babies.

Posted in HAPPENINGS, STAFF | 1 Comment