I am middle-aged now, but look back thankfully at the kind women at Planned Parenthood who helped with my yearly health exams while I was in college and into my early thirties. I came from a loving Catholic family, but they did not discuss sexuality in any way. My sex education was a very archaic and fear-based version, shown to me in fifth grade, far before I was even close to sexually mature or curious.

Though I did not necessarily get an emotional education about sex, Planned Parenthood helped me understand the physical aspects, repercussions, and the protections I could utilize, when my late-blooming sexuality came to pass. My biggest appreciation for Planned Parenthood was that my body was being tended in my checkups by a woman, with kindness and humanity. It was comforting and reassuring to see that mostly women inhabited the offices, appointment rooms, and the waiting room. Having been a victim of rape while traveling abroad, I was less comfortable being examined by a male doctor. The dominantly female atmosphere assured me that I would be treated with empathy and compassion, because they all had the same body and physiology as me, and this made me feel safe and understood.

It was Planned Parenthood that helped me through an irregular pap smear, one that was mild and went away on its own. It was good to have a woman doctor to support me through this and health care that was at costs I could afford.

As I grew older, I saw how the particular Planned Parenthood I used was mostly used by women younger than me, and thus I moved on to find a female doctor and give my space to the next young woman needing affordable, compassionate, nonjudgmental care.

Thank you, Planned Parenthood, on behalf of the young woman I was and the care you gave me, and on behalf of all young women who will experience your care, hopefully for many decades to come.