For a lot of us college-aged girls, Planned Parenthood is an untapped resource. And in case you didn’t know about all the necessary services they provide, we are here to give you a little more information about how Planned Parenthood can help you. I know that as a young woman, some topics like sex and women’s health can be uncomfortable to talk about with your parents. So much so, that the conversation may never happen at all, which could have serious consequences down the line.
Planned Parenthood offers women’s health checkups and can prescribe pretty much any birth control under the sun: implant, pill, ring, shot, IUD and more. The best part is that they provide the contraception at low rates for people who don’t have health insurance and sometimes it’s even free. Their resources don’t stop after birth control. They offer medication for UTIs, yeasts infections, STD screenings and vaccines. There’s no reason for fear of judgment or the general awkwardness of talking about sex to stop you from staying healthy.
Beyond the scope of sexual health, they offer general wellness check-ups so that people of all socioeconomic status can maintain their health without racking up crazy expenses. Admittedly, Planned Parenthood gets a lot of backlashes because, in addition to all the other services they provide, they also administer abortion services. This is a particularly hot issue in South Carolina, and recently, Governor Henry McMaster ordered for removal of Planned Parenthood from the state’s Medicaid, a federal and state program that helps fund medical expenses for people with limited income.
There is the debate about whether this violates federal Medicaid laws, seeing as Planned Parenthood provides general health services and not just abortions. Additionally, the federal funds for Planned Parenthood don’t fund abortions, so the only demographic that the repeal is harming is the poorest South Carolina citizens who don’t have insurance. Because of the backlash that Planned Parenthood has been receiving, all the previously mentioned benefits they provide for not only women but the whole population could cease to exist.
There’s plenty of reading to be done about Planned Parenthood, so get to learning! It’s important to know about all of the services offered for us ladies.