COMMENTARY | We won't go back. Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette is expanding health care despite threats to Roe v. Wade.
On March 4, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments for a huge case that could dismantle the protections of Roe v. Wade and leave Louisiana with just one abortion provider.
Here in Oregon and Southwest Washington, Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette won’t retreat as Roe hangs in the balance. In fact, every day we continue to respond to attacks on reproductive freedom by expanding our services and innovating better ways to deliver health care and education to those who need it. We are breaking down structural barriers to accessing health care by making it more timely, relevant and equitable for all people.
Rights are meaningless unless we can access them. PPCW believes that everyone should have the resources, information and education they need to live healthy lives, plan their families and meet their life goals — without shame or judgment.
COMMENTARY: Keep abortion safe, legal and affordable for all
Here are just a few of the local actions that PPCW is taking to keep our region healthy:
• We are building our largest health center. Opening this spring at Southeast Division Street and 146th Avenue, the Elsie H. Hillman East Portland Health Center represents the future model of care. This 9,100-square-foot, state-of-the-art health center will feature an individually controlled sound system in each of the 12 exam rooms; a large waiting area for patients equipped with Wi-Fi; and rooftop solar panels that will target 80% of the building’s electricity.
• We are utilizing technology to meet rural needs. As access to abortion shrinks across the country, medication abortion provided through telemedicine offers the same effective, high-quality care that patients would receive if they were in the same room with the same trained providers. About 23% of Oregon women live in a county without an abortion provider, and telemedicine ensures that they have access to the care they need in a timely manner while reducing barriers like securing transportation, child care and time off work.
• We are expanding men’s health services. Thanks to the passage of 2017’s House Bill 2103, trained nurse practitioners are now able to provide vasectomy care and meet the growing demand for men to play a more active role in family planning. Compared with permanent birth control for women, vasectomies are less expensive, less invasive and associated with much lower risk of complications.
• We are expanding gender-affirming health services. People of all gender identities need access to health care. Since 2016, PPCW has provided gender-affirmation services for people 18 and older and strives to make each patient feel welcome, comfortable and cared for while providing the best possible care.
• We are responding to the STI epidemic. We know that racism and anti-LGBTQ discrimination and stigma can be real barriers to STI testing and prevention tools, leaving many communities at greater risk. PPCW is proud to offer pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a daily pill that can lower your chances of getting HIV from sex by more than 90%, as well as post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), a series of pills that can lower your chances of getting HIV, if taken within 72 hours of exposure.
• We are empowering the next generation. As the nation’s largest provider of sex education, Planned Parenthood wants all young people to have the knowledge, power and resources to make healthy decisions about their bodies. Every week at our Beaverton Health Center, we offer Access + Communication + Education, a “youth-focused waiting room” where patients can ask questions and play interactive games to learn more about sexual health. PPCW is also working with community organizations to address racial inequities in Multnomah County by implementing evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs for populations at greatest need.
Nearly 8 in 10 Americans do not want to see Roe overturned and believe that it is the right of all individuals to determine their own health care. That’s why PPCW is working hard to address inequities and prepare for a legal environment that fails to protect abortion access nationally.
Q&A: Roe v. Wade is at risk: What that means for Oregon (from 2018)
We won’t recoil from politicians who attempt to bully our patients and us into cowering away from abortion. We’ll fight back tooth and nail to defend our patients’ rights — no matter what.
Anne Udall is the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette.
Street Roots is an award-winning, nonprofit, weekly newspaper focusing on economic, environmental and social justice issues. Our newspaper is sold in Portland, Oregon, by people experiencing homelessness and/or extreme poverty as means of earning an income with dignity. Learn more about Street Roots. Support your community newspaper by making a one-time or recurring gift today.
© 2020 Street Roots. All rights reserved. | To request permission to reuse content, email editor@streetroots.org or call 503-228-5657, ext. 404.
