As a longtime patient of Planned Parenthood, Brenda has lots of wisdom and insight about what it means to access reproductive healthcare. Over the years, she has come for many different services and has even visited clinics all over the country. “Sometimes it was annually and sometimes it was every few years, depending on if I had a full-time job or was in grad school with a part-time job, what I could afford, and if I had health insurance at the time,” Brenda told us. “It was really my default go-to, and I was very happy that there was always the option to pay just a little if I wasn’t making much money.”
Although her reasons for visiting have varied over the years, Brenda explained that the quality of care has been consistent. “There’s objectivity, there’s sensitivity, there’s kindness, there’s professionalism, and I think that’s been really universal whether it’s the medical assistant, or whoever might bring me in to the clinic room, or the nurse practitioner doing the treatment and exams.” While these things are heartening to hear, it is easy to forget why this matters, why access to reproductive care is a necessity in our communities.
“I see reproductive health as an inherent part of the human experience,” Brenda said. For her, having access to nonjudgmental care at Planned Parenthood has been more than just the healthcare services she has received. It has been a tunnel into a fundamental aspect of what it means to be human. “The message of Planned Parenthood is that you are a person, this is a part of your personhood, and this is a part of your life as a human being.” The true beauty, Brenda explains, is that this doesn’t stop at a certain age. Sex and sexuality are a part of life that transcend age, allowing us to continue being sexual even as we grow older. “There are many decades in life, and sexual expression and sexual experience don’t have to go away. Sexuality might shift and change in how it’s expressed because our bodies change with time. But, the sexual self is still part of the core self that can’t be fragmented off.”
This, in turn, means that reproductive care is also a crucial part of life regardless of age. However, it is this diversity in age that Brenda explained as especially exciting about accessing care. “You’re becoming part of a common female experience,” she described. “You’re joining your mothers and grandmothers and people you’re not related to throughout the decades who have done what was important to stay healthy.” And once this is taken care of, it is time to celebrate the beauty of having sexual experiences. Brenda ended by noting that although care is important, enjoying life in your own skin is equally important. “Enjoy the fact that your body is complex and exciting and really interesting. Take care of it and be safe with it, but really celebrate the fact that you’re alive and have a healthy body even if your level of health is not perfect. Dig it. Before you’re done.”
Read more:
>> Adrienne
>> Katy
>> Kayleen
>> Max
Special thanks to guest blogger Cora Neisen for authoring the 100 Years of Care series!
