Poll: Planned Parenthood

[heyjude]

All these GOP attacks on Planned Parenthood made me wonder how many women have needed to use Planned Parenthood at any point in life. When the GOP talks of defunding Planned Parenthood, just how many real woman would be affected?

Feel free to elaborate or not.

[laurenpetro]

Me. HIV testing in college.

[epphd]

Birth control in college and before my insurance kicked in afterward. Also gyn care in college.

[madisen]

I was lucky enough not to have to use PP myself because my college had great and cheap healthcare for students. Plus after graduating I've always had some form of employee sponsored/subsidized healthcare.

[5thofjuly]

Me. I've had great insurance my whole life, but I couldn't get in to my MD in time for new BC once in college. Planned Parenthood is awesome!

[downtoearth]

Me - birth control in college, an issue thing, STD testing, annual exams. I think I paid like 5 times and was below the threshold to pay like 2 times. I should go back bc I don't like my OB that much now.

[mlt]

Yes, for regular checkups/Pap smears and birth control in grad school.

[aurora]

I used it once when young for birth control. Super helpful.

[pinkdutchtulips]

lets just say i was VERY grateful for their services about 14 years ago

[alexis]

I used PP for a year for BC after my H got laid off, and we lost our insurance. Many of my family and friends complain about the welfare state and PP and it makes me crazy.

We did everything "right". We both have good educations, we worked hard, we were prudent with our finances, carried minimal debt,... We had significant savings when H got laid of off, but it the amount looks paltry when looking at medical costs.

It really bothers me how many people refuse to acknowledge that the vast majority of Americans are just a couple easy steps away from financial ruin through no fault of their own. All it takes is the loss of a job and a medical emergency. Sometimes the job loss isn't even necessary.

[arterr0]

Me. I used it to get BC between college and grad school, when I didn't have insurance or student health coverage of any type.

[MrsAxilla]

Yep. DH and were TTC, then we hit a patch when a new baby would be no Bueno. My regular gyn refused to put my IUD back in unless I was ON my period (makes it easier, I guess?). Not knowing this, I called for the apt the day AFTER my period (bc EW). There was NO WAY I was waiting a whole month, so I called PP and they got me in the next day. I was employed, so I paid their full fee, although I don't recall what it was.  ETA: no, now that I think about it, my insurance covered it.  I paid a $20 copay pre-Obamacare.  THANKS OBAMA,)

I also used my county health clinic for a few years for birth control pills when I was in law school. I didn't use PP then because the health clinic was closer to me and their sliding scale fees worked the same.

[overture]

I had a pregnancy test there to confirm my home one when I didn't have insurance. They gave me all the paperwork I needed to start the medicaid process. We ended up getting married instead, partly because I would have had to have waited until I was in almost in my second trimester to get an appointment, but I was grateful for how knowledgeable the people I talked to were about it.

[elleblue]

I've been fortunate enough to have never been without some kind of insurance, but I completely recognize that I'm unusual in this regard.

Defunding PP will create a public health crisis, make no mistake.

[mrsukyankee]

I had no healthy insurance and wasn't earning hardly anything while going to graduate school (and before as well) so I made use of the no fee/low fee birth control for several years. I needed them.

[Velar Fricative]

Yes. When I was in between jobs about 10 years ago, I went there for an annual exam.

[chw57]

Aug 4, 2015 22:33:02 GMT -5 @majorwife said:

I was without insurance for a few years in late college and just after graduation. I used PP for annual PAPs and for BC.

Me too

[darnkatz]

I haven't used the services, but I've been in a position to use them for quite some time (low income, state insurance). They are covered by my insurance, and it is good to know that they are a comprehensive option. My husband may get his vasectomy through them.

[underwaterrhymes]

I went to Planned Parenthood for my first few OBGYN appointments. It was close. It was cheap. I was in college and needed birth control, but didn't want to figure out which regular gynecologist wanted to go to, so it was also easy.

[Vespasia]

I went there for an IUD after my regular gynecologist turned out to be a judgmental snatch who kept pressuring me to have children.

[shortstax]

BC during college and one special trip for Plan B. I'll never forget how incredibly kind that nurse was to this stressed out college kid

[Deleted]

I'm not sure how you define "need" to use them.

I've always had health insurance but last year I went there for my pap because I didn't feel like going through the hassle of searching for a new gyn.

I have to get a follow up pap this year and plan to use them again because they're close and convenient with a lot of weekend hours since I can never make weekday appointments.

So I go to PP by choice.

[wawa]

Plan B when I was 18.

I used a non-pp sliding scale clinic for my regular pap and bc in college.

[Deleted]

I wonder if PP could make it work with private funding. There must be private donors out there with deep pockets who would come to its rescue. Or is their scale so big that this is totally unworkable? In my fantasy though someone gives them several hundred million as an endowment and PP tells the GOP to fuck off permanently.

[chimera]

I've been lucky to have insurance coverage for most of the time. I did skip a pap at 22 when I had a 6 month gap. I scheduled as soon as my new insurance kicked in. It didn't occur to me to go to PP as I was only delayed a few months.

Our on campus health services in college had highly discounted BC - $10 for the name brands. The NPs there did the entire STD panel every year.

I've had quite a few friends that have gone for various reasons - lack of Obgyn, finances, etc. Bff's regular Obgyn wouldn't insert an IUD because she was childless.

[AJL]

Yep. EC twice.

[redshoejune]

I went there several times in college. Like the other poster, I've also used the county clinic, when I was in high school.

[tripleshot]

I went in HS for BC. I didn't want my mom to know and my friend drove me to PP.

[lyssbobiss, Command, B613]

Not just women. SO went to planned parenthood just last week. I haven't been for myself but I went with him, and I would go again in a heartbeat for myself after the great experience we had there.

[penguingrrl]

Yup. Through HS and college I had no health insurance and that was the only way I could afford well woman care and birth control pills. I credit them with allowing me to be sexually active without getting g pregnant during college.