I moved to Los Angeles when I was young. I had no insurance for most of my twenties and depended on Planned Parenthood for a lot of my healthcare. I wasn't able to pay for the services and they'd only ask for, "a small donation if possible." I relied on them so much when I was poor.
The staff were always amazing and supportive during some very shitty times in my life. It made me realize that I wanted to work or volunteer for them when I graduated nursing school.
I once gave a speech for a college course about the importance of Planned Parenthood for low-income, uninsured people. Did you know that the incidence of cervical cancer is lower because of yearly pap smears? If Planned Parenthood was an option in 1979, maybe my Mom wouldn't have had cervical cancer. If women don't get their yearly exam, the precancerous cells will be missed and can grow. - Do you know where that happens regularly? It happens in other countries where women don't have access to affordable exams. And yet, because of Planned Parenthood, American women with little to no income have access to these screenings.
When I moved back to Michigan, I again had no insurance and started having complications with an IUD that was placed by a UCLA doctor. I went to Planned Parenthood in Flint where I was taken care of, for free, and given a prescription for free antibiotics. After finding work and insurance in Detroit, I still went to a Planned Parenthood for my yearly exam because I trusted them.
The waiting rooms are always full. It's always a mix of young adults (male and female), pregnant women and new mothers with their babies. And every time this shit happens, I think about how lucky I am that I haven't been shot while waiting for a pap smear.
I am a nurse that teaches the importance of health screenings. I am a woman that knows the necessity of choice. I am a human that wants this shit to stop.