(Image description: background is an image of a birth control pill pack, white text in a green rectangle says “support birth control access for all genders”. End image description.)
Access to birth control is a human right for people of all genders.
I was 12 when my 17-year-old brother died. He was not shot by police or targeted by white supremacists, but racism killed him.
Richard had bipolar disorder, and our family relied on Medicaid for health care. After a brief stay in one of very few mental health facilities that accepted Medicaid in Chicago, he became extremely ill with a high fever and trouble breathing. We took him to the hospital, where he was not tested or x-rayed. Instead, he was given an inhaler and told to take ibuprofen. When his condition worsened, we went back to the ER, where staff diagnosed him with pneumonia in both lungs. He was admitted to the ICU and put on a ventilator. Five days later, as my mother and I finally took a break from living in the ICU to shower and change clothes at home, Richard died.
It is not a question to me whether Richard would have received better care if he wasn’t Black. There is a straight line from his Blackness to the health care options available to him to his treatment to his death.
Racism is a public health crisis. It manifests in dramatic inequities in health outcomes across the board — including three times as many COVID-19 infections among Black people and nearly twice as many deaths than white people. It manifests in the daily grind of discrimination and stress on Black bodies. It manifests in where we live, the health care available to us, and how we are treated. It manifests in which mothers must mourn sons who died too early, which sisters grow up without brothers.
Because of the long legacy of redlining and an economic system built on racism, Black Americans are disproportionately relegated to living in poverty-stricken areas. And since most health outcomes are determined by things like poverty, income inequality, wealth inequality, food insecurity, and the lack of safe, affordable housing — the social determinants of health — in all of these areas, Black people have to overcome 400 years of the deck being stacked against us.
If we do manage to get care, we often receive a poorer version in comparison to white people. In 2016, half of white medical students and residents surveyed held false beliefs about biological differences between Black people and white people — beliefs with deep roots in slavery, when physical violence was seen as acceptable because people believed enslaved Black people had “thicker” skin than white people. The medical students and residents with these false beliefs rated Black patients’ pain lower and made less accurate treatment recommendations.
Black women are doubly dehumanized. For centuries, we have been denied the rights and resources to make our own decisions about our bodies. Our desires are dismissed, our pain is ignored, and our needs go unmet. And it kills us. It’s why Black women are more than three times as likely to die of pregnancy and childbirth-related causes.
The racism in the U.S. health care system is borne out in these numbers, and in stories like my brother’s … and mine.
In 2018, I made the decision to get an abortion. I went to a local clinic in Brooklyn. I did not feel ashamed about having an abortion, but I was treated as if I should be. I was forced to have two visits with two ultrasounds before the procedure, and was ordered to go from room to room without being given any information about what was going on or what would happen next. I was seen by several doctors who didn’t even attempt a decent bedside manner and couldn’t pronounce my name.
The first doctor simply told me, “You can’t smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol,” without giving me any information on my options or asking me if I’d like to continue the pregnancy. I had to ask several times for information on abortion. I was then reluctantly, coldly told that medication abortion was “out of the picture” because insurance wouldn’t cover it. I felt like I had no control over my body.
If this was my experience in Brooklyn, in a state with liberal abortion laws, I can only imagine what people in states where access to abortion is even more restricted must be experiencing.
Trust me when I tell you: Black people feel pain. And we thrive in spite of it. For decades, Black people — Black women in particular — have been at the forefront of the movements to hold this country accountable to its promise of equality and justice — the Civil Rights movement, women’s suffrage, the LGBTQ+ movement, and reproductive justice. Black women started Black Lives Matter, now recognized as among the largest protest movements in U.S. history.
It isn’t enough to tear down statues of Confederate generals (as much as they should be). As American white supremacy meets this moment of reckoning, Black people still suffer from health inequities because of racism and a for-profit health care system. We will only see change when we start to break down and rebuild the longstanding institutions that have historically been used as tools of oppression. We need to tackle the racial inequities in health care head on. Racism as a public health issue needs to be widely understood, especially by all who enter the medical field.
The health care system is killing us, as surely as police are. No more Black people should die from racist violence, or from illnesses that could be treated with just a little more care. No more Black women should experience the dehumanization I felt while getting care that is my right to have.
Racism is a public health issue, and all lives will matter when Black lives do.
-Leanna at PPFA
Leanna Burton is a media assistant in the Communications & Culture division at Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She was born and raised in Chicago, IL and studied journalism at City University of New York - Brooklyn College. She is also a musician and freelance writer whose main focus is lifting the voices of people in underserved and undervalued communities.
“LGBTQ+ rights and reproductive rights are both rooted in the conviction that we control our own bodies; we decide what our families look like; and we should make our own health care decisions.”
How can I prepare for a gynaecologist appointment as a trans man?
Wellness exams are an important part of staying on top of your health, but accessing health care can be challenging for transgender people. Not all nurses and doctors are sensitive to trans issues or informed about the health care needs of transgender people. So it’s great you’re taking steps to make sure you have the best experience possible.
Your wellness exam (some people call it a gynecological exam) is a time for you to get the health care and information you deserve. So it’s very important to find a doctor or nurse you trust and can be open with. If you don’t feel comfortable with your current nurse or doctor or don’t feel like you can be 100% honest with them, think about switching to someone else if you can.
You don’t need to do much to get ready for a wellness visit. What happens during your wellness visit depends on a few things, like how old you are, your sexual history, and your medical history.
Here’s what to expect:
Your doctor or nurse will check your height, weight, and blood pressure.
If you’re sexually active (meaning you’ve had vaginal, anal, or oral sex), you may talk about birth control or STD testing.
If you have abnormal bleeding, vaginal itching, strong odors, or any kind of pain or swelling, you may need additional tests.
Your nurse or doctor may also ask you about alcohol or other drug use, allergies, illnesses, infections, smoking, and any surgeries you might have had. All these things can affect your sexual and reproductive health, so it’s important to be honest.
Wellness visits are a key part of preventive care, and thanks to the Affordable Care Act, (AKA Obamacare), as long as you have health insurance, all of your preventive care should be covered at no cost to you. If you don’t have insurance, the costs can vary. We’re here to help! The staff at your nearest Planned Parenthood health center can talk with you about your payment options — many people qualify for free or low-cost wellness exams at Planned Parenthood health centers.
Planned Parenthood health centers are open to people of all gender identities. Whoever you are, you can visit your local Planned Parenthood health center for STD testing, birth control, physical exams, and other sexual and reproductive health services and referrals. You can also find LGBTQ+ friendly community centers across the country through CenterLink.
You might already know that Planned Parenthood is fighting to protect our patients’ access to care and to expand sexual and reproductive health care access for everyone. But did you know that Planned Parenthood has a separate advocacy and political arm? It’s a nonprofit just like Planned Parenthood’s health care wing, but it functions separately and has its own name: the Planned Parenthood Action Fund (PPAF).
Learn the difference between what Planned Parenthood health centers do, what PPAF does, and how to get involved with both. But first — a little history lesson!
The History of Planned Parenthood Activism
From the beginning, our role as health care provider has been bound up with activism. Planned Parenthood was founded over 100 years ago on the revolutionary idea that women have the right to access the information and care they need to live strong, healthy lives. This idea was so controversial that Margaret Sanger was arrested for opening the country’s first birth control clinic in 1916.
While our health centers have continued to provide high-quality, compassionate health care, Planned Parenthood staff and supporters have carried the torch in sexual and reproductive rights advocacy. That includes helping to rouse political support for reproductive rights — which, in turn, helped bring about major Supreme Court victories that lead to the legalization of birth control in 1965 and abortion in 1973.
Planned Parenthood Action Fund: How the Separate Advocacy and Political Group Began
In 1978, Faye Wattleton became the first female president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America since Margaret Sanger — and the first president of color. During her tenure, laws limiting access to safe and legal abortion escalated, along with violent attacks: Planned Parenthood health centers and other abortion providers became targets of arson and bombs.
By the late 1980s, it was clear to Wattleton that more needed to be done in order to keep Planned Parenthood doors open and help preserve abortion rights nationwide. Wattleton launched the Planned Parenthood Action Fund in 1989, and today it’s the leading advocate for sexual and reproductive health and rights in the country.
Different Organizations — Providers and Fighters — Working on Sexual and Reproductive Health for All
Like any other health care provider, Planned Parenthood health centers primarily run on health insurance reimbursements for care, including from Medicaid. Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood Action Fund and local Planned Parenthood advocacy and political organizations across the country are funded by contributions from new and existing members and other supporters. The advocacy and political organizations engage in educational and limited electoral activity, including grassroots organizing, legislative advocacy, and voter education.
The principal work of PPFA, the national organization, is to support the Planned Parenthood affiliates, which run more than 600 health centers across the country and provide the full range of sexual and reproductive health care services to 2.4 million patients nationwide. Those health care services include abortion, wellness exams, birth control, STD testing and treatment, cancer screenings, emergency contraception (like the morning-after pill), HIV prevention medication, UTI and vaginal infection testing and treatment, and the HPV vaccine.
PPFA also:
Is the largest provider of sex education in the United States — each year, it provides educational programs and outreach to 1.2 million people nationwide, and digital sex education to millions more worldwide
Advocates for everyone who needs sexual and reproductive health care — including the one in five women who has come to a Planned Parenthood health center for expert, nonjudgmental, high-quality care
Partners with organizations overseas in programs that bring sexual and reproductive health care to some of the world’s most neglected areas
Dual Advocacy: What Both PPFA and Action Fund Are Fighting For Now
Both PPFA and Action Fund oppose laws that ban abortion, take away access to birth control, push abstinence-only programs, and block Planned Parenthood patients from care.
Right now, PPFA and Action Fund are working to stop the Trump administration’s dangerous gag rule, which pushed Planned Parenthood and other providers out of Title X. The Title X program helps 4 million people each year — including over 1.5 million Planned Parenthood patients — access birth control and other sexual and reproductive care they normally couldn’t. PPFA is fighting the Trump administration’s Title X gag rule in court, and both PPFA and Action Fund are educating the public about the gag rule. Meanwhile, Action Fund is calling on members of Congress to oppose the gag rule and protect Planned Parenthood patients’ access to Title X services.
How to Get Involved
Both Planned Parenthood health centers and Planned Parenthood advocacy and political organizations need your support. Are you feeling your compassion for Planned Parenthood patients? Want to help them directly? Volunteer to make a real difference in people’s lives every single day.
We’re committed to helping all patients get the care they deserve. Through the Planned Parenthood Direct app, you can chat with a doctor or nurse from your phone and get birth control pills delivered right to your door. Thanks, technology! We’re expanding access to birth control and UTI treatment to all 50 states by the end of 2020.
If you’ve ever received health care like birth control, STD tests, or annual exams for free, at low cost, or on a sliding scale at Planned Parenthood, chances are Title X helped pay for it. Title X is the nation’s only dedicated program for affordable birth control and other preventive, reproductive health care. The program helps 4 million people each year — including over 1.5 million Planned Parenthood patients — access care they normally couldn’t. But the Trump administration just imposed a dangerous and unethical gag rule that pushed Planned Parenthood and other providers out of Title X.
Even if you don’t know whether you’ve been helped by Title X, you can take control of your health now by knowing your options. Read on to learn how to access high-quality, affordable sexual and reproductive health care — and how to fight for everyone who could lose access.
Above all, know this: Planned Parenthood staff members are doing everything to make sure all of our patients can still access care.
Currently, all Planned Parenthood health centers are open and providing services. You can still make an appointment and come to us for care. Our doors will be open today and they’ll be open tomorrow. We are fighting the gag rule in court, calling on Congress to act, and we will do everything we can to make sure our patients don’t lose care.
Why You Need to Pay Attention
While we are working to make sure patients don’t lose care, the devastating gag rule will cause harmful changes. It may be harder for you to get free or low-cost preventive services at Planned Parenthood, including birth control, cancer screenings, and annual exams. Every state is affected by Title X and will be harmed by Trump’s gag rule, but the specific impact will be different state-by-state.
Pay special attention to news about Title X if you don’t have insurance, live in rural areas, are a young person, have trouble making ends meet — or if you know anyone in these groups. These people have benefited the most from Title X, and stand to get hurt the most by the gag rule.
How to Find Out If You Can Still Get Free or Low-Cost Services
1) Call your local Planned Parenthood health center
Use our health center locator to find the health center you want to visit, and give them a call.
2) Ask how much services cost
Once you get a Planned Parenthood representative on the phone, tell them what health care services you need and ask how much they cost. Services that Title X helps cover include birth control pills and other contraception methods, STD tests, wellness exams, and breast and cervical cancer screenings. Keep in mind that Title X only covers preventive care — not abortion services.
If the cost for your preventive care is more than you can afford, ask if you can apply to any government programs (like Medicaid) for discounted care, or if there are other ways to help cover the costs.
3) Discuss alternative options.
The Planned Parenthood representative may have information about other ways to access affordable care.
However, it’s possible that your only options will be to pay out-of-pocket at Planned Parenthood or try to find an alternate provider. If this is the case, Planned Parenthood will let you know if there are any other qualified providers where you could potentially get free or low-cost care — but they may not be easy to access.
Also be careful to avoid “crisis pregnancy centers.” These fake clinics may advertise free pregnancy tests, STD tests, and information about abortion — but they’re often run by people who are anti-abortion and anti-birth control. You can’t rely on crisis pregnancy centers to provide effective birth control methods (like the pill or IUDs), and they frequently give biased and inaccurate information about sexual and reproductive health.
Your health is important. So try not to delay or avoid getting the care you need — it can be dangerous.
Speak Out to Protect Care
Yes, this is scary. That’s why Planned Parenthood is fighting the Trump administration’s Title X gag rule in court. But your members of Congress also have the power to stop the gag rule — and you have the power to help.
The U.S. House passed a bill that would block the gag rule. Now the Senate must push for a bill that does the same. We’re asking you to help us protect sexual and reproductive health care for millions of people by calling your senators.
Since 1970, Title X has been an important safety net for people who would otherwise go without health care. This includes LGBTQ communities, people of color, people with low incomes, and other marginalized communities that historically have faced barriers to care. The majority of patients in the Title X program identify as Black, Hispanic, or Latinx.
What the Gag Rule Does
The gag rule makes it illegal for any provider in the Title X program to give patients information about how or where to access abortion, even if those patients ask for an abortion referral. So, if a patient who needs an abortion goes to a provider who gets Title X funds for preventive services, the provider would have to say something like, “I can’t give you information about abortion, but here is where to get prenatal care” — even if the pregnancy puts their patient’s health at risk.
Planned Parenthood providers are committed to giving every patient the best medical care and information available. The gag rule makes it impossible for us to keep this commitment, and therefore the Trump administration has made it impossible for us to stay in Title X.
By bullying health care providers into withholding information from patients, the Trump administration is saying that people don’t have the right to make their own decisions about their health. If you’re as angry about that as we are, speak out.
What Happens Next
Again, our doors are open.
While Planned Parenthood health centers continue to provide expert, compassionate care, we are carefully analyzing the impact that being forced out of the Title X program will have on our health centers. And we’re doing everything we can to fight for the millions of people who rely on us.
While we don’t know for certain what this will look like, it’s unrealistic to think there won’t be harmful changes. For too many patients, this will mean that birth control and reproductive health care are out of reach.
Stand Up to the Gag Rule and Stand With Planned Parenthood
Taking away people’s reproductive health care and potentially leaving them with nowhere to turn is beyond unacceptable. It’s unconscionable, it’s dangerous, and we need your help to fight back.
Tell us about a time you received low-cost or free services from Planned Parenthood — and why you think everyone deserves access to affordable health care. Leave us a message at 646-870-4484.
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