Street roots., January 27, 2017, Page 12, Image 12

Don’t take away my health care
Based in Garden
Home, Esperanza
Garcia Walters is a
member o f Planned
Parenthood Advocates
o f Oregon’s
Washington County
Leadership &
Advocacy Team. For
more information, visit
PPAOregon.org.
BY ESPERANZA GARCIA WALTERS
C O N T R IB U T IN G C O L U M N IS T
A s we begin the new year, some
/A politicians are itching to restrict
X JLaccess to our reproductive health
care. Members of Congress have pledged to
introduce legislation defunding Planned
Parenthood and basic health care as their
top priority. Let’s be clear: Attacking
Planned Parenthood will have a devastating
effect in Oregon, especially among people of
color who already face unequal access to
care.
Planned Parenthood services are
essential. These health centers serve 2,5
million people each year, including more
than 60,000 in Oregon. The bulk of what
they do is actually preventive health care,
such as cancer screenings, birth control,
STD testing and treatment, and well-woman
exams. One in five women — like my nieces,
daughter and me — will get care at Planned
Parenthood in her lifetime. And many would
not have any other place to turn to if
Planned Parenthood wasn’t there.
I have volunteered and supported
Planned Parenthood for more than 30 years.
I still recall going to my volunteer interview
along with my 2-week-old daughter in her
red Christmas outfit. I have supported
Planned Parenthood health centers because
I care about the people they serve: those
most in need of services. I appreciate that
they care about providing great care to all.
As a n u rs e , th a t’s im p o rta n t. So, I hav e ____
’~re¥erreTrnaSy^eopleTTTl!IanneT,—”
Parenthood through the years, I trust
Planned Parenthood to help them make
decisions and provide care without judging.
Women don’t go to Planned Parenthood
Legislation that defunds Planned
to
make a political statement; they go
Parenthood - one of the most common
because they need health care. As 15
attacks - is particularly cruel. It targets
national polls have shown, voters
people who rely on federal programs such
overwhelmingly oppose attacks on Planned
as Medicaid or Title X — those who are
already struggling to get by and tells them Parenthood. And polling shows that half of
they can no longer turn to Planned
Donald Trump’s own supporters oppose
Parenthood for health care. For many of
defunding. There’s a reason Planned
them, Planned Parenthood is the only
Parenthood already has seen an outpouring
healthcare provider they can, or want to,
of support since the election — and why so
turn to.
many people in Oregon are already getting
Planned Parenthood’s mission is to
’ organized to protect access to care at
ensure people have access to reproductive
Planned Parenthood.
health care no matter what; therefore, more
Planned Parenthood Advocates of
than half of its centers are in rural or
Oregon’s Leadership & Advocacy Teams —
medically underserved communities. Many
patients who rely on safety net programs for which are active in eight counties across the
state - are planning how we’re going to
health care already have a difficult time
fight back. We plan on making sure every .
getting gynecological care, including the
single politician in Salem knows that we will
most effective types of birth control. In fact,
in 68 percent of the counties where Planned not stand for these attacks.
Parenthood operates, they serve at least
To be sure, some politicians are so hell­
half of the patients who rely on federal
bent on attacking reproductive health care
funds for health care. In 21 percent of the
that they don’t care who they hurt in the
counties, Planned Parenthood is the only
process. If they strip millions of people of
safety net family planning provider. Because
their basic health and rights, it would send
of that, the people who would be hurt the
the country into chaos, and that’s not going
most are those who already face barriers to
to happen on my watch. Those extremists
accessing reproductive health care -JBS
neither speak for me nor the majority of
affecting people of color, people with low
Americans. Together our voices are more
incomes and people who live in rural areas
than loud enough to drown them out
the hardest of all.
So I invite everyone in Oregon to join me
While it’s clear right-wing politicians
and Planned Parenthood Advocates of
would like nothing more than to shut down
Oregon. We’re getting organized. We will
Planned Parenthood health centers and end
1 Sot1 back down, we will not be silencedTand
"accesTto*reproductive health care across
we will fight like hell to ensure that they do
this country, that isn’t what people in
Oregon want It’s not what I want It’s not
not take away our health care.
what people across the country voted for.
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