In eighth grade, my super liberal school taught us sex ed. The class was calm and funny, and in the end we learned a lot.

Three years after that, my best friend Jen* was raped. She said he didn’t wear a condom. She said he finished inside of her. Jen called me that night without any idea of what to do (Jen came to our school in ninth grade). I listened to her story, and heard her talk about how her life was ruined.

Jen’s mom is single and works extremely hard to send her to our school. Her mom wants for Jen to finish college and then start her family much later in life.

As Jen and I continued to talk, I knew that she needed a stable plan to help her situation. The next day, Jen got a Plan B (emergency contraception) from CVS and scheduled STI testing at her closest Planned Parenthood. Unlike me, Jen had previously gone to a public school where they taught abstinence and “the horrors of STIs” to their students. My school taught us about birth control, what Planned Parenthood actually does, sexuality and identity, and how to get help. I am lucky to have had the privilege of going to such an educational school, not one that scares kids from sex and doesn’t teach them what to do in a crisis.

The next Saturday, I went with Jen to get tested at Planned Parenthood. Her tests came back negative and the Plan B covered the risk of the potential child. Jen relied on the affordable cost of Plan B and the funding of Planned Parenthood, without which she would not be able to graduate. Presently, Jen still goes to school, and is graduating soon, and has several offers from schools all over the country. I was glad to have the tools to help my friend in a tough situation.

*name changed