I've Come to the End

As of today the count is thirteen days until I’m done with high school. After four years it is finally coming to an end, and I have to say I couldn’t be happier. It’s certainly time for me to move on from the tedious (and occasionally exhilarating) world of high school. For my classmates and me, this last semester has been a difficult push to the end filled with missing assignments and skipped days. Compared to my peers, however, I’ve had the opportunity to do something new in the last four months of school. Instead of sitting around in school for another few hours after lunch, counting down until the end of the day, brining me that much closer to the end, I’ve come to Planned Parenthood every day and been engaged in something new and exciting, giving me a reason to come to school every day. In fact I even came to my internship on Senior Skip Day. Crazy right? Tells you there’s something special about this place though.

I think the biggest difference between school and working at Planned Parenthood is that I truly care about the work I do here. At school everyone has such resentment towards doing work and being productive; seniors just want it to be over already. When I come to Planned Parenthood, however, I get excited about what I get to accomplish that day. Everyday I get to do something that makes a difference, whether it’s preparing outreach materials for an event, writing a blog post or even doing data entry, and it is all working towards a cause that I care about. The notion that the work I do can make a little something about the world better is enough to give me drive and inspiration to get the work done without dread. Compare that to writing an English paper on Hamlet… I’ll trade any day.

Working here for four months has given me knowledgeable insight into office and nonprofit work. Paper pushing, phone banking, blogging, all of this was new to me, and although not always the best of times, personally rewarding in a manner that makes me proud of the work I do. Proud because I’m helping an incredible organization like Planned Parenthood accomplish goals I care about like promoting comprehensive sex ed, protecting reproductive rights and ensuring women’s health.

Sitting here on one of my last days at Planned Parenthood, I know I made a smart choice when choosing where I wanted to intern (thanks for the suggestion mom!). I’ve gotten to do some really fun projects, things that I care about and tasks things that are tedious, but extremely important. This internship was exactly what I needed at this point in my life, something to keep me motivated, hold my interest and give me the opportunity to make a difference. I can only hope that I’ve given as much to this organization as it’s given me.

Before I go, I need to give a big shout out and thanks to Tiffany Hickman, the Volunteer and Intern Coordinator at Planned Parenthood who has been my supervisor these past months. She’s been incredible to work with and has made this whole experience so much better by being extremely friendly and encouraging. I also need to thank Rebecca Cavanaugh and the rest of the Planned Parenthood administrative staff for welcoming me to their floor and opening lots of doors! (I mean that literally).

Elena Kagan: The Woman Everybody Wants To Know More About

A high school student in New York during the 70s dreamed of one day becoming a Supreme Court Justice. Now, for Elena Kagan, more than thirty years later, that aspiration may very well be coming true. President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Elena Kagan, is poised to replace Justice John Paul Stevens if her nomination is approved by the Senate. If appointed she would be the third woman serving on the Supreme Court, the most women ever seated on the court at the same time, making the composition of the Justices a third female. With diversity on the horizon, it is easy to get excited about Elena Kagan’s nomination without even knowing anything about her.

For the past thirty years, Kagan has been working all over the academic and political circuits. Paticular highlights of her political career include clerking for Justice Thurgood Marshall, working on Vice President Joe Biden’s staff when he was a senator, working for Clinton’s administration and currently serving as the United States’ Solicitor General, representing the United States in front of the Supreme Court. Elena Kagan has a long history as a professor, earning tenure at University of Chicago before going to work for the Clinton administration than as Dean of Harvard Law School. Kagan is no stranger to breaking barriers for women, serving as the first female Dean of Harvard Law School and first female Solicitor General. Becoming the third woman on the Supreme Court seems like a practical next step.

Many nuances and details of Kagan’s political and ideological stances are not known, mostly because she’s served in academia instead of as a judge, but throughout her life she has taken some important actions that reveal a bit about her political character. While serving as the Dean of Harvard Law School, Kagan supported the Law School’s ban on military recruiters as a protest of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) policy, which bars out LGBT men and women from serving in the military. Harvard has a strong commitment to support it’s LGBT students and perceives DADT as discrimination. By standing up against discrimination and in support of her students, Kagan exemplified her qualities of fairness and justice when it comes to discrimination. She’s also written about free speech throughout her career, a topic that sparks her interest and her intellect.

Kagan has avoided ideological stances in favor of approaching things that have an “intellectual puzzle,” making it difficult for her critics to pick apart her stances on important issues. Instead criticism of Kagan has focused on her lack of judicial experience, if nominated she would be the only Supreme Court Justice who had never previously served as a Judge. Although recently, most Justices have previously served as Judges, before the 1970s it was not uncommon for lawyers, professors and politicians to be nominated to the Supreme Court. Her supporters say that her lack of judicial experience is a good thing, bringing a fresh perspective to the court. Certainly, she’s not inexperienced with the Supreme Court, serving as Solicitor General for over a year and as a law professor at the most elite schools in the country. Her communication and people skills as a good listener and persuader make her a valuable candidate in a Court that’s sharply divided.

As her hearing draws nearer, don’t anticipate hearing any less about Elena Kagan. A private woman in terms of her political opinions and personal life, the media of course is trying to find out as much as they can about her. Among rumors about her sexuality, the important things sometimes get overshadowed. The debate will continue on both sides, until eventually the vote is tallied. Until then it’s a waiting game as we continue to learn more and more about the woman who may be breaking another huge barrier for women in the political arena.

Youth Invasion 2010!

Every year the Andy Warhol Museum is taking over by teens for a night for Youth Invasion. There’s dancing, music, art, a fashion show, free food, and of course tabling by local organizations reaching out to the hundreds of youth at the event. This year Carnegie Library, the Women and Girls Foundation, Rustbelt Radio, the Youth Empowerment Project/PERSAD, Bike Pgh, the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force, and the Animal Rescue League. Of course Planned Parenthood was also there running a table filled with pamphlets, condoms, PPWP chapsticks and our “Be Safe, Be Sexy” buss pass holders stuffed with cards and condoms. Yay Freebies!!!

As expected, youth loved the table and grabbed up the chapstick and other give aways saying how cute the buss pass holders were. What was a bit unexpected for me, however, was how a lot of the adults at Youth Invasion would come by the table and grab stuff for their kids, fill out the “I support Sex-Ed” cards and were genuinely excited that we were there for the youth. It was great to see adults who liked seeing teenagers stuffing condoms in their pockets instead of becoming protective and defensive.

Planned Parenthood wasn’t the only organization there promoting sex ed and handing out condoms, which is awesome for our cause. The Pittsburgh Aids Task Force and The Youth Empowerment Project/PERSAD were also tabling, encouraging youth to have safe sex and make healthy choices. By having three organizations all relaying the same message is a great way to really get a point across.

Leaving around nine with considerably less stuff than I came with was not just a relief to my back, but also showed how much stuff people had taken from the table. Outreach events like Youth Invasion are a great way to reach out to a lot of people by directly giving them some tools to practice safe sex, and also inform them about the other services Planned Parenthood offers. As a volunteer it’s extremely satisfying, but if the idea of empowering youth to be healthy and safe isn’t enough to get you to come out and volunteer, consider that I got free food including cupcakes for Dozen Bakery, and if that’s not enough to convince you that it was a great night, I don’t know what can.

Choice: As American As Apple Pie!

Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania PAC is thrilled to invite supporters to enjoy a heaping slice of apple pie with us to support our summer internship program!

Every summer, Planned Parentoods from around the state host interns who are instrumental in our advocacy and political work. Show your support for these amazing young people by coming out on June 5th from 6 pm to 9 pm for a family friendly BBQ at Healcrest Urban Farm!

Healcrest Urban Farm
Corner of Hillcrest and Pacific AVenue
Garfield Heights, Pittsburgh , PA

Last year PPWP saved $100,000 due to the efforts of our many volunteers and interns. Help us continue this amazing program!

Facebook Invite Coming soon!

Charged for Following the Law? What Now?

In Wisconsin school districts have the choice to teach sex education to their pupils, so many schools have good comprehensive sex education programs that in addition to teaching about abstinence, teach students about STIs, contraception, and state sex laws. In fact, starting in 2011 schools that have any type of sex ed program will be required to use a comprehensive curriculum.

That’s a step in the right direction for Wisconsin But of course, whenever progress is made, there are those people who fight back even harder. In this case, it’s a Wisconsin County Prosecutor threatening to bring criminal charges against teachers who follow the law and teach sexual ed.

The age of consent in Wisconsin is 18, so legally minors are not allowed to have sex. The prosecutor, Juneau County District Attorney Scott Southworth, claims that teaching about contraception and safe sex and not just absitinance encourages youth to have sex. He believes that comprehensive sex education is a “radical program that sexualizes our children as early as kindergarten. This, in turn, will lead to more child sexual assaults."

So when did prosecutors start charging people for following the law? Instead of performing his role as a defender of the law, this DA wants to use his power as a vehicle for his own personal agenda. Southworth puts the schools in a difficult position when they feel threatened following the law and doing what’s right for their students by providing them with important and accurate health information.

These kinds of things happen all the time, all over the place, but I believe it’s important to take time and recognize the battles people are having to fight to do the right thing. Whenever progress is made, there is going to be a backlash against it, and people must stand strong. Keep fighting Wisconsin and don't be bullied!

Maternal Health: Can We Fix This Mess?

Part V

The maternal health care system has a lot of problems. In fact, it is highly messed up. But like socks with their pair, actions and reactions, and everything going up coming down again, these problems have solutions. Now these aren’t sweet and simple solutions that will to make everything A-Okay overnight, but with time, dedication and resources, will make a huge difference in creating a maternal health care system that succeeds in protecting the health of mothers. Only fixing one part of the system will leave a maternal health care system still plagued by problems, so any plan must take a systematic approach and address all of the problems in the system in order to really make a difference.

One of the first things the government can do is to establish an Office of Maternal Health. This office would be important in addressing the issues of accountability and lack of information about the system failings. With a government office dedicated to improving maternal health, eliminating discrimination and creating standards of care. Giving a group of people the power and authority to do something about the maternal health care crisis is necessary in implementing real change. The health care system is highly tied into government operations and systems, so the government needs to be involved in the solutions process.

Other ways the government can address maternal mortality include establishing state level maternal mortality review boards and making Medicaid easily accessible by pregnant women. Maternal mortality review boards serve to investigate and keep records of maternal deaths, and can hold institutions accountable if a death was preventable. Pregnant women need regular prenatal care and access to services. Now, if a woman gets pregnant and then applies to Medicaid, it takes much to long for her to begin receiving health care benefits. By giving pregnant woman temporary access to Medicaid during their pregnancy will increase the number of women receiving maternal health care.

Making sure that the people who need maternal health care have access to it is one of the most important things that needs to be done to improve the system. Right now, the population that is lacking access are the underserved and impoverished communities in rural and urban areas. In order to establish better access to health care services in these areas, the government needs to increase funding for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC). These clinics are essential in providing general and maternal care to people who would not otherwise receive the necessary care, so expansion in the number of FQHCs would make it so much easier for many women to access maternal health care.

Outside of the government, health care providers must also do their part in improving maternal health care. Health care providers can make sure that they are communicating openly with their patients, offering them accurate information about their health care and allowing them to make choices about their own health. Although it seems like something obvious that health care providers would already do, it is often not the case. Being adequately informed about the risks of procedures and symptoms of dangerous conditions is necessary for a woman to have quality maternal care.

Quality health care can only be provided if there are enough health care providers to care for the patients. Because understaffing is a major issue in the maternal health care system and the cause of many preventable medical errors or overlooks, hospitals and clinics must ensure that there are enough health care providers to give every woman proper care. Hiring more nurses and OBGYNs is one of the simplest things we can do to improve the maternal health care system.

These are only a few solutions to some of the problems, but there are many more outlines and plans to fix the system. The Amnesty report has a list of ten recommendations for improving maternal health care in America, and as the system crisis gets more and more attention, I believe more solutions will be proposed.

Striving towards a world where we take care of our fellow man is not always easy. Differences in opinions and priorities often lead to a conflict between people about what battle we should be fighting to try and make our world a better place. There are those who are against gay marriage and those that support it, Some people are advocates of the free market and global capitalism, and others would like to see a society based on socialist principals. These divides make it very difficult to get anything accomplished. Often, before someone can begin working towards their solution, they need to overcome the opposing side. I hope that maternal health is not an issue that creates factions, but instead something that all people can rally around. With a united front for improving the maternal health care system, our country has the potential to fix the problems that are ailing the system now. The first step in creating that united front, however, is to inform people about the maternal health care crisis in this country, and now that you know about it, this becomes your responsibility. Don’t just sit on the fact that 13.3 women die for every 100,000 in the United States. Don’t think “wow, that’s terrible” and never do anything about it. Instead learn more by reading Amnesty’s reports, take action by sending a letter to the US Department of Human and Health services, or even tell a friend about the despicable treatment pregnant women in this country are facing. Now that you know about the maternal health care crisis what are you going to do about it?

Policy Update and Save the Dates!

Happy Spring from Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania's Advocacy Team!

Lots of exciting things are happening at PPWP throughout the summer. Stay tuned for updates! Here some things we have been working on and a few Save the Dates.

Sex Ed Legislation Update:

We are thrilled to announce the passage of the Healthy Youth Act out of the House Education Committee this past Wednesday! One of the many goals of the Healthy Youth Act is to create a minimum standard for sex education curriculum in Pennsylvania public schools. With this vote, we are one step closer to ensuring that PA students have the education and skills they need to make healthy decisions for themselves. This is only the second time a proactive reproductive rights bill passed out of committee in the history of the Commonwealth. A BIG round of applause goes out to our state office and our many volunteers for working their butts off to get this done. Planned Parenthood, along with dozens of organizations statewide, will be pushing hard for consideration by the full house in June but we have a tremendous amount of work ahead of us to get here. Please consider calling your House Representative and encourage them to support the Healthy Youth Act! Find your representative's contact information here.

Save the Dates!

May 7th: PPWP volunteers will be tabling at the Youth Invasion event at the Warhol Museum on Friday from 5 pm to 10 pm. If you know anyone who would like to volunteer for this or any other event, connect them with Tiffany at THickman@ppwp.org!

May 12th: Phone Bank and Volunteer Night next Wednesday from 5:45 pm to 8 pm in conference room. Stop by to make a few calls and find out what's new!

June 5th: Choice is as American as Apple Pie - Family Friendly BBQ at Healcrest Farms in Garfield from 6 - 9. For more detail email Rebecca at RCavanaugh@ppwp.org

June 13th: Cocktails for a Cause! Join us at Round Corner Cantina (3720 Butler Street, Lawrenceville) from 4 - 6 p.m. for great drinks at a great price all benefiting Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates!