Before I was a physician, I was a theater technician working as a freelancer, making ends meet, but never able to afford health insurance. Planned Parenthood was where I went for my preventive health care, Pap tests, and contraception. Without them, I would not have been able to get this routine health care that is essential to women’s health.

Now that I am a physician, I see women in our emergency room who are unable to access health care through the routine systems. Whether uninsured, undocumented, financially in the gap between Medicaid and commercial insurance, or unable to purchase insurance even through the Affordable Care Act, Planned Parenthood is still my first recommendation as a place for them to go to receive affordable, excellent quality health care. Without the Planned Parenthood network of clinics, we will see a huge gap in the availability and affordability of health care for women throughout the country.