Imagine being harassed by an angry mob when you visit your physician or gynecologist. As if physicals and pap tests weren’t uncomfortable enough, a group of strangers is now publicly shaming you.
But that is a common occurrence at Planned Parenthood clinics throughout the country because a select group of people disagree with one service the nonprofit provides.
Despite public perception, abortions account for less than 10 percent of Planned Parenthood’s services nationwide. The other 90 percent include: cancer screenings; birth control and prevention; testing and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases; breast health services; pap tests; and sexual education, information and counseling.
Planned Parenthood has fought a sometimes-gruesome battle for years to defend that 10 percent while simultaneously attempting to provide affordable health care to men and women.
“We believe people should be able to access health care free from intimidation and harassment,” said Marta Welch, senior director of strategic communications and marketing for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, based in Denver.
The majority of Planned Parenthood’s clinics are in discrete locations away from busy streets. Often, gates or fencing surround the building in an effort to protect the safety of clients who go there. But Planned Parenthood actually works to reduce the need for at least some of its services. The nonprofit strives to focus on prevention to reduce unintended pregnancies and, therefore, reduce the need for abortions, Welch said.
Welch said that 71 percent of Planned Parenthood clients receive services to prevent unintended pregnancies and, in total, the organization helps to prevent more than 486,000 unintended pregnancies each year.
Perhaps where Planned Parenthood receives the most political and religious backlash is in advocating for a woman’s right to choose. Despite the publicity and protest the organization garners, Welch said, the Durango facility has had a significant impact. In 2013, it helped about 2,032 clients with family planning at the Durango Health Center. It also saw an additional 2,000 through its educational programs.
“One in five women in the U.S. has visited a Planned Parenthood health center at least once in her life,” Welch said.
The facility also offers affordable medical care for uninsured clients.
But all services aren’t aimed at women. Planned Parenthood offers testicular and prostate cancer screening for men, among other services.
Planned Parenthood also offers educational opportunities for parents to talk to their teens about sex as well as comprehensive sex-education programs for schools and youths, she said. To avoid isolating non-English-speaking clients, the nonprofit provides translators and bilingual programs.
Alternative to abortion
LifeGuard, an organization that advocates for the “personhood” of human beings, helps women in crisis pregnancy by offering financial assistance, adoption assistance, counseling referrals and other services. It promotes natural family planning and conducts youth outreach through chastity-education programs.
Shelley Gundrey, LifeGuard board member and volunteer in Durango, said a lot of women have had abortions because they saw no other choice. She finds that ironic, given Planned Parenthood’s pro-choice standpoint.
“Women need more than just the choice of abortion,” she said.
LifeGuard refers pregnant women as early as 10 weeks to First Choice Ultrasound in Durango, where they can receive ultrasounds. This is done in an effort for women to see that the developing baby is not a only flesh and blood, Gundrey said. Some women have been misinformed to think that they are aborting a nonliving bundle, she said. In some instances, ultrasounds can help women seek options such as adoption. However, if a woman has had an abortion, post-abortion counseling is available, she said.
Through chastity education and natural family-planning programs, LifeGuard hopes to eradicate the need for abortions and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
Partners in town
It has its detractors, but Planned Parenthood has local supporters.
The Women’s Resource Center in Durango is a women’s advocacy group that sometimes works with Planned Parenthood. It helps La Plata County women and their families achieve personal empowerment and economic self-sufficiency.
“Planned Parenthood is one of the agencies we refer women and girls for affordable health care, reproductive choices and education,” said Liz Mora, executive director of the center.
The center also partners with Planned Parenthood for the “Girls to Women, Women to Girls” conference that helps eighth-graders in La Plata County transition into high school.
State Rep. Mike McLachlan, D-Durango, is a political advocate for Planned Parenthood. In a previous role as state solicitor general, he went before the U.S. Supreme Court and successfully argued for the state’s “buffer-zone” law. McLachlan in 2000 gave the opening arguments in the Hill v. Colorado case.
Colorado’s “buffer-zone” law creates a protective bubble between anti-abortion protesters and medical facilities, including those that perform abortions. As a result, facilities have had more clients seek general services without the fear of harassment, Welch said. However, given the facility’s security measures, sometimes, the law isn’t enough.
“While we believe the bubble/buffer laws to be an important piece of (patient safety), we know that, in and of itself, it is not enough to eliminate harassment,” she said. “As a result, we’ve created and implemented additional methods to protect patients.”
The staff also will offer to walk a patient to and from his or her car to prevent harassment from protesters and as a safety precaution and maintains a peaceful atmosphere within the facility, she said.
Planned Parenthood has a strong nonengagement policy for staff and clients, she said.
“As long as people are within their rights and aren’t threatening the safety of our clients, we don’t engage,” Welch said.
McLachlan has received endorsement from Planned Parenthood for the upcoming election. He said he feels Planned Parenthood is one of the groups most responsible for the progress of women’s reproductive health in America.
“First of all, for any candidate that is trying to address the issues in contemporary America and Colorado, it is fundamental to look to the issues of reproductive health and women’s rights generally,” he said.
As an advocate, father and husband, McLachlan said he has seen the impact Planned Parenthood has had in the region’s health-care community.
The facility in Durango has been a fixture for nearly 30 years, he said, and he’s 100 percent supportive of it.
“It’s really important for the public to understand that they do a lot of other things in addition to – not besides – in addition to providing abortion services,” McLachlan said.
vguthrie@durangoherald.com
Texting hotline answers questions
For teens who are sexually active, technology can make a difference.
Planned Parenthood has developed a mobile-savvy service that has helped many people living in rural areas find reproductive-health answers via text message.
The program is called ICYC and stands for “in case you’re curious,” said Marta Welch, senior director of strategic communications and marketing for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains.
Teens, parents and educators can ask professionals questions about reproductive health and receive medically accurate answers in a nonjudgmental fashion, she said.
The professional will usually respond within 24 hours. In Colorado, text ICYC to 57890.
On the Net
Planned Parenthood Durango: www.plannedparenthood.org/health-center/colorado/durango/81303/durango-2174-90210
Lifeguard La PLata: www.lifeguardlaplata.org
