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News@EssentialMom.com
This week in Westchester
What's the scoop?
Did you know that:
*50% of all pregnancies in America are
unintended
*21 states have laws which restrict adolescent
access to contraceptive services
*In 2005, 15 states considered legislation that
would allow pharmacists to refuse to fill a woman's
birth control prescription
*In the U.S., adolescents represent more than
25% of all sexually transmitted infection cases
*31% of all sexually active American women
become pregnant before the age of 20
*In the past 5 years, the federal government
has allocated $779,000,000 to 'abstinence only'
education
*A 2003 Columbia University study showed that
88% of virginity pledgers had intercourse before
marriage, and young people who took virginity
pledges were 30% less likely to use contraception
when they did become sexually active than their
peers who had not pledged
*In 1990, the total annual expenditures for all
costs associated with teenage childbearing exceeded
$25 billion
*There are NO abortion providers in 87% of the
counties in the United States
*Federal family planning funding serves more
than 4.8 million women and 240,000 men per year
who might otherwise be unable to afford family
planning. This funding prevents: 1,331,100
unintended pregnancies, 154,700 teenage births, and
632,300 abortions
**At our very own Planned
Parenthood Hudson Peconic in 2005, there were
82,440 visits to our clinics providing: 69,760 Family
Planning visits-- which includes well-woman exams,
breast exams, pap/lab
tests, pregnancy testing, counseling, contraception,
sexually transmitted infection care, and mid-life
services,
6,233 prenatal visits, 5,448 abortion
related
services, and 1,009 cervical cancer procedure and
treatment visits
*Statistics have been compiled through a
variety of sources including the CDC, the Guttmacher
Institute, PRCH, Finer LB and Henshaw SK,
Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health,
2003, PRCH/MS4Choice, Columbia University, Planned
Parenthood, & Am J Public Health.
For Love of Choice
The name Planned Parenthood has at times become
synonymous with abortion-- for many, negating the
other incredible services they provide to teens,
college students, young professionals, low-income
families, and many others who seek additional
assistance, or simply anonymity. Their first and
foremost concern is put forth as the option
for "choice". Whether you believe in the termination
of a pregnancy or not, women should have the
choice to make decisions whether to take birth
control or to have babies, the choice to get yearly
mammograms and gynecological care, the choice to
be tested and treated for sexually transmitted
infections, & the choice to have healthy
pregnancies. Planned Parenthood
strives to provide excellent services to those
otherwise unable to access medical and social
services through private providers.
I have personally been blessed with the
resources to lead a very lucky lifestyle-- to have
children I chose to have, to purchase birth control on
my own when insurance didn't cover it, or to create
a life for myself and my family that we choose to
make-- and I believe all women and their families
should have the right to those same choices.
In my days before becoming a parent, I worked
with
teenagers and families in the Bronx and saw too
many times what happens when choice is not an
option. I watched many young girls with no
education, no money, and no hope for the future
walk in and out
of my life, knowing sadly what outcomes awaited
them. Heartbreak, anger, lack of
education, and poverty following them even if
services were available. Planned Parenthood
services are often not enough between funding cuts
& legal restrictions placed on service providers, as
well as threats from anti-choice forces, creating an
environment in which our rights and the rights of
those less able to fight are held hostage by a small,
and extremely vocal minority. We can't believe our
right to make reproductive choices will be taken
away again, however as in the past, laws have been
pushed through quietly, under
the radar and out of the public eye. Our rights
to choices and comprehensive services are being
stripped away so that one day we may awaken to
find the war we forgot to fight has already been
lost.
Please join me on Friday, October 27th,
at
the
2006 Annual Westchester Luncheon to benefit
Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic. The event
will
be held at the Ridgeway Country Club in White Plains
from 11:30am to 2pm. At this year's luncheon, a
special award will be given to recognize leaders who
have gone
above and beyond to champion the cause of
women's health care and rights. This year the
recipient will be the esteemed Congresswoman Nita
M. Lowey and an exceptional PPHP leader and
advocate, Ruth Lapidus.
Best-selling author and renowned linguist, Dr
Deborah Tannen, will be the special guest speaker.
As a major supporter of Planned Parenthood, she has
graciously agreed to do a book signing of her most
recent book "You're Wearing That? Understanding
Mothers and Daughters in Conversation" which just
spent 10 weeks on the NY Times best-seller list. For
more information, visit
www.deborahtannen.com.
Don't be shy! If you don't know anyone
else going, ask to sit with me (I'd love the
company), bring a friend, or just take the leap-- this
is a lovely luncheon (no bra burning necessary I
assure you) with bright people brought together for a
common cause. Check out the attached document
for more information on how to get involved, how to
donate, or just to buy a ticket to the luncheon!
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