The Status of Reproductive Rights

Patricia A. McGeown, President and CEO, Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood, updated us at the September meeting on “The Status of Reproductive Rights: Threats in Legislation, Regulation, Policy, Scientific Integrity.”

Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood is an organization with a distinguished 70-year history. They serve patients at locations in Albany, Troy, Hudson and Latham. With approximately 23,000 patient visits every year, they serve approximately 20,000 people. Their services include GYN exams, cancer screening (Planned Parenthood is the largest provider of PAP smears), reproductive health diagnosis including sexually transmitted diseases, birth-control counseling, pregnancy testing, and surgical as well as medical abortions. Planned Parenthood was the first provider in the Capital District of medical abortions through the use of RU486. They also provide some primary care at their Albany location.

In addition to these responsibilities, UHPP also visits area schools to provide sex education programs including the very popular STARS (Seriously Talking About Responsible Sex) which trains teens to be peer educators. Many of the UHPP programs focus on teaching refusal skills and self-esteem building. When young people are encouraged to think about their goals in life and are given coping skills, they are better equipped to resist sexual pressure. UHPP also provides programs to help physicians become more comfortable with discussing sexuality with patients.

However, there are many challenges that UHPP faces in their outreach to the community. In the past they have had to struggle to be included in area health fairs and school curriculums due to religious and political bias and pressures. School budgets also present a challenge and sometimes schools may even choose a program provider based on such minor considerations as who can provide better snacks during the presentation.

Funding for Planned Parenthood is also a challenge and since the Bush Administration, many financial sources are under constant threat of drying up if they have not already disappeared. In addition, the valuable and desperately needed services that Planned Parenthood provides to communities across the nation have been under constant attack from the Bush Administration. The administration has removed valuable resources pertaining to women, the rights of women workers, and reproductive issues from government websites. Instead, Bush and his appointees promote religiously biased junk science (which has been discredited by the scientific community) which amounts right-wing theology masquerading as scientific information about women and reproductive issues.

Some of these attacks – through legislation, funding, appointments and judicial nominations – have international as well as domestic effects. On his first day in office, President Bush restored the global gag rule on international family planning assistance. In October of that year, Bush’s FY2001 budget doubled the amount of funding for “abstinence only” education but provided no increase for family planning funding. For a complete list of the Bush administrations effect on reproductive freedom, consult Planned Parenthood’s brochure entitled: “50 Examples of the Bush Administration’s Attack on Reproductive Freedom.” These 50 attacks are listed in five broad categories:

1. Reducing access to family planning.

2. Building the platform to outlaw abortion.

3. Redefining the legal status of the fetus.

4. Packing the courts to overturn Roe.

5. Replacing science with right-wing ideology.

The Bush administration has also had some legal success (as well as some set-backs) in their attempts to outlaw what they term as “Partial Birth Abortion” without any exceptions for the life or health of the woman. Through propaganda, they attempt to convince the public that they are trying to limit late-term abortions. The reality is that these are rare and unique medical emergencies requiring this procedure for the life and health of the pregnant woman:

After reading the complete Planned Parenthood brochure mentioned above you will certainly be interested in what you can do to help Planned Parenthood in its mission. McGeown suggested a few ways. Donations of money are always welcome. Also, consider becoming a volunteer escort to help patients feel more comfortable when faced with anti-choice protesters at clinic locations. Another helpful strategy is to make an effort to compliment the news media when you see positive coverage of Planned Parenthood issues in the news. McGeown explained that, just like visitors to their clinics, the media has been intimidated by the anti-choice movement and may not cover stories that they should. A possible example of this is the fact that the Times Union never covered the anthrax hoax perpetrated against Planned Parenthood a few years ago.