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The latest smear campaign that falsely portrays Planned Parenthood’s participation in tissue donation programs supporting lifesaving scientific research is not only an attack on Planned Parenthood, it is also an attack on women who, like me, have...High-res

The latest smear campaign that falsely portrays Planned Parenthood’s participation in tissue donation programs supporting lifesaving scientific research is not only an attack on Planned Parenthood, it is also an attack on women who, like me, have voluntarily decided to try to save lives through tissue donation after an abortion.

I was 10 years into a very successful career, my marriage was six years strong, and I was pregnant for the first time.  I was at the top of my game — until, at one of my routine checkups, my ob-gyn couldn’t hear our son’s heartbeat. She explained my baby had died and that she was going to schedule a D&C because my body had not naturally eliminated the pregnancy.

In that moment of total crisis for my husband and me, my doctor also asked us a question that helped transform this devastating loss into one with meaning:  She asked if we wanted to donate the tissue to an important research project on trisomy 21, a genetic disorder they discovered he had.

All these years later, the loss of our son still brings me more pain than I could have ever imagined.  But knowing that we had an option that could lead to scientific discoveries to prevent other couples’ suffering down the line was a gift back to us.  Some people may say that my experience was different because my procedure was done to complete a miscarriage.  But medically speaking, it was an abortion — in fact, “abortion” is the procedure listed on my discharge form from the hospital.  

In many areas of medicine, patients can decide to have tissue donated to help lead to medical breakthroughs. Why should women who have abortions at Planned Parenthood be treated differently?

Linda N.

Milwaukee, WI

#BirthControlHelpedMe…

sqveak:

For the awesome thing that plannedparenthood is doing:

#BirthControlHelpedMe feel in control of my body and sexuality!

It takes away some of the paralyzing fear of the risk taken with sex, and gave me the feelings of safety and security I needed to feel totally comfortable being intimate with my partner. Now I have one less thing to worry about, and that makes a HUGE difference in my life.

If you still haven’t had “the talk” with a parent about sex check out this video for some inspiration.

Last week we asked you to tell us about a time when a parent talked with you about sex. We loved reading all of your stories! Here are some of our favorites: 

“When I was in 3rd grade my parents took me to an ice cream parlor to give me the talk. Sometimes I think it’s a miracle I still love ice cream haha!”

“I learned about sex from my mom. I picked up things as I went on. I’d ask a question, and she’d answer it in a way I could understand depending on my maturity. When I was in high school, she declared a “Nothing is Awkward” rule and I was free to ask her anything because if I was curious, she wanted to make sure that I had my questions answered by someone who knew what they were talking about. She also did this because she was never able to be open with her own mom because it was too awkward for my nana. She wanted me to have a better experience. Because of this, I know that I will be able to be a responsible and well-informed person in my future sex life. Plus, I can also be a clarifying voice for my friends when they need it.”

“I learned about sex from a crude joke book my dad gave me when he found it in the garage. I have no idea if he knew what was in it. Later, I had a large animal biology class that was more comprehensive than any sex ed. The teacher even explained what the clitoris is! Of course, he explained where it was on a cow, which is very different than on a human. If you got 100% on the quiz, your name was put on a list of “sexperts” on the blackboard.”

“My mom conveniently forgot to mention that sex was something people did for reasons other then procreation. I mean I was like 13 when I finally figured out that people did it for fun.”

“…I had a hard time telling my own mother I started my period. Took me four hours! I felt as if I couldn’t ask them anything about sex, so I just took what was told during sex ed to heart, to be safe and the rest I learned on my own. But I think the best thing was I learned how to be safe and where I could get help, if needed without judgement first. And the place I knew of was planned parenthood.”