Pro-Choice Delaware

Birth Control Only Works If A Woman Can Get It

2011-08-17T13:11:00.000-07:00

We have just seen a change that will fundamentally impact our culture for years and years to come. As part of the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, by 2014 all new health insurance policies under the Exchange will cover all types of birth control with no co-pay. This is sound fiscal policy—for every $1 spent on contraception, taxpayers save $3.74 in public funding. In other words investments in birth control saves you money, America!

Now, discussing co-pays and legislation sounds very dry sometimes, but the real-world effects of this change are going to be felt by many women and their families across this nation very soon. This decision means that the college student won’t have to dip into her grocery money in order to pay for her pill pack; that a woman struggling to make ends meet and support her family will be able to afford her prescription; and the woman interested in a long-acting method like and IUD will be able to get it and not be stopped by the initial expense (these methods often cost much less over time, are highly effective and easily reversible).

Making birth control easier to get just makes sense. When women use birth control there are far fewer unintended pregnancies. Not surprisingly the countries where birth control is easiest to get also have the lowest rates of unintended pregnancy.

The bottom line is that removing cost barriers so that a woman can access birth control throughout her life time is good policy. The average woman spends 30 years of her life trying to avoid pregnancy; women know that planned pregnancies lead to happier, healthier families. Readily available birth control is a crucial step in making this happen.

It's National Condom Week!

2011-02-15T08:32:00.000-08:00

Valentine’s Day is a day of celebrating love for some. For others it will be a day in which they drown their single sorrows in chocolate and Cupid’s Broken Arrow Martinis. But no matter how you are celebrating, or sorrowing, February 14th is also the start of National Condom Week. And what better way to show you care than wearing protection with the one you love?

National Condom Week started in 1978 at UC Berkeley and has been used by colleges, high schools, and clinics as a method of outreach to remind the young, the old, and everyone in between, “no glove, no love.” According to the Centers for Disease Control, young people (age 15 -24) only make up 25% of the population, and yet this age group consists of more than half of the new sexually transmitted infections each year. Using condoms and education young people about safer sex practices could decrease this number. Condoms are 98% effective, if used correctly, at preventing pregnancy, and greatly increase protection against STIs.

So while you’re out buying chocolate and flowers, don’t forget the condoms (and the lube). Remember that the best way to show someone you love them is by using protection.

Need to freshen up on how to use a condom correctly? Check out this video from our Sexuality Education Training Institute...

Intimate Partner Violence

2011-01-26T06:58:00.000-08:00

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) refers to abuse (sexual,
physical, psychological/emotional, or verbal) within a close
relationship. This may be between dating partners, domestic partners,
spouses or former spouses. Often times, IPV begins with
emotional/psychological or verbal abuse and escalates to physical or
sexual assault.

The CDC reports that women experience about 4.8 million intimate partner related physical assaults and rapes each year. Men are the victims of about 2.9 million intimate partner related physical assaults.

IPV Can Be Prevented!

It’s important for people to understand what is involved in a healthy
relationship. Healthy relationships include expressing yourself
honestly, communicating openly, agreeing to disagree at times and
ultimately respecting one another. Unhealthy relationships may include
threats, intimidation, name-calling, stalking, jealousy, controlling
behavior or criticism.

If you find yourself in an unhealthy relationship, seek help! Talk to a trusted friend, counselor, or healthcare provider. There are many community resources available.

In Delaware, contact:

Kent/Sussex Domestic Violence Hotline 302-422-8058
New Castle County Domestic Violence Hotline 302-762-6110
Rape Crisis CONTACT Services 1-800-262-9800

Source: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Understanding Intimate Partner Violence

Remember your New Year’s Pledge: More Good News About Exercise!

2011-01-19T08:06:00.000-08:00

If there weren’t already enough benefits to being physically active, consider a new study conducted at the University of Vermont which found that mood can be elevated for up to 12 hours after exercise!

The study was conducted with college students exercising for 20 minutes at a moderate intensity level. Participants then completed a questionnaire which evaluated their mood at one, two, four, eight, 12 and 24 hrs after exercise. The study found that an elevated mood lasted for up to 12 hrs after exercise when compared to participants who didn’t exercise at all.

Need a Quick Exercise Mood-Boost During the Work Day?

Check out these simple tips for daily exercise (even while at the office)…

• Lift light weights (1-5 lbs) while sitting at your desk or talking on the phone
• Stash an exercise band in your desk for resistance work throughout the day
• Bring your gym shoes for a lunchtime power walk
• Squats and lunges are simple leg workouts that can be done down office corridors or hallways
• Try calf raises while typing on the computer
• Get your colleagues on board with exercise in the workplace – form a support group to motivate each other
• Start each workday with a 5-10 minute meditation to relax and quiet the mind
• Keep a water bottle at your desk to stay hydrated

Remember that exercise doesn’t have to be torture! A simple 20 minute workout each day can have significant health benefits including a happier, calmer demeanor in the workplace! You’re worth it!

Make your voice heard on election day!

2010-10-29T13:29:00.000-07:00

The country is at a crossroads with some candidates and private interest groups pushing for extreme interpretations of the Constitution that would put government firmly back in people’s private lives.

One of the greatest pieces of the US Constitution is to acknowledge American’s right to privacy and freedom from government interference. Government has no business dictating the size or type of your family. Government has no business dictating what a woman does with her own body. Government has no business being led by extremists who are frighteningly out of the mainstream views of proudly moderate Delaware.

The Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Delaware urges voters to support candidates who believe in a woman’s right to control her own body; as well as equal access to health care, equal access to age-appropriate, medically accurate sex education, and equal treatment for all people with dignity and respect.

Tuesday, November 2, is not a day to stay home. Its time to make our voices heard and make sure we keep government out of our personal lives. For further information, visit www.pro-choicedelaware.org.

2010 Local Candidate Endorsements

2010-10-21T05:46:00.000-07:00

Today the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Delaware announced its endorsement of the 2010 General Assembly candidates. Every election year the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Delaware (PPAFD) endorses candidates that support reproductive rights—including choice; family planning; and age-appropriate, medically-accurate sex education.

While much attention is focused on congressional races, state legislators make decisions every session that impact sexual and reproductive health in Delaware such as funding for breast and cervical cancer screenings and family planning services for low income women; regulation of health care organizations; and key new provisions of national health care reform.

Fifteen minutes after we launched the e-mail to our supporters announcing PPAFD’s endorsements, we got a phone call from a supporter asking why a particular state representative was not endorsed. It’s not easy to earn an endorsement and our supporters want to know who made the cut. See below, Delaware!

State House of Representatives Endorsed Candidates
Name	District
Rep. Helene Keeley (D) - Incumbent	House District 3
Rep. Melanie George (D) - Incumbent	House District 5
Debra Heffernan (D)	House District 6
Rep. Bryon Short (D) – Incumbent	House District 7
Rebecca Walker (D)	House District 9
Rep. Deborah Hudson (R) - Incumbent	House District 12
Rep. Valerie Longhurst (D) -Incumbent	House District 15
Rep. James "JJ" Johnson (D) - Incumbent	House District 16
Rep. Michael Barbieri (D) - Incumbent	House District 18
David Ellis (D)	House District 22
Rep. Teresa Schooley (D) - Incumbent	House District 23
Edward Osienski (D)	House District 24
Rep. John Kowalko (D) - Incumbent	House District 25
Rep. John Viola (D) – Incumbent	House District 26
John McCutchan (D)	House District 29
Rep. Darryl Scott (D) - Incumbent	House District 31
Jill A. Fuchs (D)	House District 34
James Westoff (D)	House District 35

State Senate Endorsed Candidates
Name	District
Sen. Harris McDowell (D) - Incumbent	Senate District 1
Sen. Patricia Blevins (D) - Incumbent	Senate District 7
Sen. David Sokola (D) - Incumbent	Senate District 8
Sen. Karen Peterson (D) - Incumbent	Senate District 9
Sen. Bruce Ennis (D) - Incumbent	Senate District 14

The election will be held on November 2. Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Want to know where to vote? Coming soon: polling place locations at www.pro-choicedelaware.org.

Questions? Call 302-655-7296, ext. 36. PPAFD endorsement decisions are made solely by the organization and are not in coordination with any candidate or candidate’s committee.

Planned Parenthood Action Fund Endorses John Carney for Congress

2010-09-17T12:20:00.000-07:00

The Planned Parenthood Action Fund announced its endorsement of John Carney in Delaware’s At-Large Congressional race. The Planned Parenthood Action Fund is the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

“The Planned Parenthood Action Fund is proud to endorse John Carney for Congress,” said Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. “In Congress, John Carney will promote women’s health and fight to protect women’s reproductive rights.”

With experience in public service as well as the private sector, Carney knows firsthand the critical need for affordable, accessible health care and the importance of expanding access to care.

“Voters in Delaware want a women’s health champion in Congress,” said Nanci Hoffman, Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Delaware president. “John Carney will be that champion. He is a longtime advocate for preventive health care and will put commonsense policies for women’s health above ideology or politics. At a time when women’s access to basic health care is under attack, Delaware needs a representative like John Carney who will fight for women’s reproductive health.”

If elected, John Carney will work to improve access to quality health care for women, support and protect a woman's right to choose, and invest in prevention programs, including family planning services and breast cancer screenings.

The election will be held on November 2.

What is the #1 thing you can do to protect reproductive rights?

2010-09-08T06:52:00.000-07:00

Want to support reproductive rights? Tired of the tea bag dominating the news? Worried about the race to the bottom by candidates trying to prove who is more anti-choice?Then vote! The only person who can prevent anti-choice and anti-family planning candidates from getting elected is you. Think one vote does not matter?

1788--THREE VOTES ratified the U.S. Constitution in New York
1923--ONE VOTE placed Adolph Hitler as the leader of the Nazi Party
1941--ONE VOTE kept the military draft operational just weeks before Pearl Harbor
1960--ONE VOTE changed in each precinct would have defeated John Kennedy

Register to vote in Delaware at http://electionsncc.delaware.gov or call 302-577-3464. You MUST register by October 9, 2010 to vote in the November 2010 election.
Our representatives in congress and the state legislature make decisions about family planning access for low income women, HIV/STD prevention programming, limitations on women’s reproductive rights and more.

If you don’t vote, you have no right to complain.

Vote! Vote! Vote!

Election Day: Tuesday, November 2, 2010

"I have a Dream" Speech Anniversary

2010-08-30T11:29:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday was the 47th Anniversary of one of the best (if not the best) speech in American history—“I Have A Dream” by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. Dr. King gave the speech to 200,000 people on the National Mall on August 28, 1963. The speech and march were designed to rally a country mired in the darkest racism and put pressure on President Kennedy to become more aggressive on guaranteeing all people their constitutional rights.

Many people know the above speech but did you know that Dr. King also spoke about the importance of health care access?

“Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.” — Martin Luther King Jr. in a speech to the Medical Committee for Human Rights, 1966.

A recipient of the national Planned Parenthood Margaret Sanger Award in 1966 for his work in supporting family planning, Dr. King recognized the tragedy of people being denied health care because of lack of ability to pay. At Planned Parenthood Delaware, we honor Dr. King this day and all days for his amazing contributions to this country. And, we remain committed to his vision that all people deserve health care—regardless of their ability to pay.

A few words from a long time Planned Parenthood intern

2010-08-16T12:30:00.000-07:00

I first started volunteering at Planned Parenthood about two summers ago. I, like many PP volunteers before me, was an escort. It gave me something to do on Friday mornings and I could help women. Of course, it also involves being yelled at by rude protesters with medically inaccurate signs and questionable ethics but that’s fine with me. They have no right to dictate other people’s reproductive rights or tell me how to spend a Friday morning.

Needless to say, I kept coming back The people were nice, and the work was meaningful, and, o yeah, I minor in The Study of Women and Gender in college.

I jumped at the opportunity to officially intern with Planned Parenthood this summer. It’s been amazing. I’ve been working in the Public Affairs Office, which means law. Local law. Federal law. All law almost all of the time. Most people would find this boring. I, on the other hand, am a Government major and self-proclaimed government nerd. I love it. I love the legal analysis. I love tracking down old Attorney General Opinions. I love lobby days. But mostly, I love the people I work with.

I’ve had the best boss in the world for the past three months. Incredibly smart, and never underestimated my ability to get things done; something I need occasionally. I’m reminded of something a client told me once when I first started volunteering. As I walked her into the clinic, through the noise of the protesters’ yelling, she told me that she didn’t even need to come into PP because she could afford to go someplace else. But she braved the protests because the people at PP were so nice to her.

Planned Parenthood does some great work for the people of Delaware who can’t afford the high cost of health care, or need to their privacy rights protected. But it doesn’t hurt that the people are wonderful, and they are what keep me and the clients coming back.

12th & Delaware

2010-07-30T08:52:00.000-07:00

Crisis Pregnancy Centers: 12th & Delaware on Monday, August 2, 9:00–10:30 p.m. ET/PT on HBO

This Monday, August 2, HBO will premiere 12th and Delaware, a documentary about an intersection in Florida where a women’s health care center that provides abortions is located on one side of the street and a so-called “crisis pregnancy center” (CPC) that does everything it can to prevent a woman from choosing abortion sits across the street.

“Crisis pregnancy centers” often pretend to be real health care providers, but are anti-abortion and (sometimes) anti-family planning organizations that falsely market themselves as professional health facilities. Unfortunately, CPCs offer medically inaccurate or incomplete information.

CPCs also often show women propaganda films or written materials with false information about abortion, the development of the fetus, and the medical and psychological effects of abortion. There are five CPCs in Delaware.

While 12th and Delaware does not take a position on abortion, it can do much to start a conversation about the continued threat to women’s ability to make personal medical decisions based on what is best for them. It can also enhance the public’s understanding of the realities of CPCs.

[View the trailer at HBO.com ]

Clients Love Planned Parenthood!

2010-07-26T06:36:00.000-07:00

Planned Parenthood patients give the family planning program high marks.

Planned Parenthood of Delaware (PPDE) is committed to providing high quality customer service. To meet this goal and learn where we can improve, PPDE surveys its patients four times a year. The results are worth reporting!

Over 90% of the respondents reported that they felt PPDE listened, provided them privacy during their visit, and treated them with respect. PPDE also got compliments on individual staff members, length of time before being seen, and 91% of customers said they’d recommend us to a friend.

Thanks for the love, Delaware!

What is PPAFD?

2010-07-22T09:32:00.000-07:00

Did you know that there are two Planned Parenthood’s in Delaware?? There is Planned Parenthood of Delaware which offers medical services and sexual and health education. And, there is the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Delaware (PPAFD) which is incorporated as a 501c4 under the IRS code. The organizations are separate but work as partners for women’s reproductive health care.

The goal of PPAFD is to promote legislation that furthers Planned Parenthood's Public Policy Agenda,* educate the citizens of Delaware about the views of elected officials and candidates for office, and elect supporters of reproductive rights to office. The Advocacy Fund is non-partisan.

*The foundation for the Planned Parenthood policy agenda is three ideas:

Equal Access to All Forms of Sexual and Reproductive Health Care - Regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, income, religion, age, citizenship, geographic location or physical challenges.
Equal Access to Comprehensive, Age-appropriate, Research-based Sex Education - Including encouragement of a healthy dialogue between parents/caregivers and young people.
Equal Treatment with Dignity and Respect - It is the obligation of medical providers, including doctors and pharmacists, to provide the most comprehensive medical information available and respect patient confidentiality.

Questions? Contact us!