{click the image to be directed to the article}
Cecile Richards, CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, is named to the 2011 Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world. Be sure to stop by a news stand today and pick up a hard copy (I know I will be picking up multiples!) or check out the article online by clicking here.
Posted in In the News
Join Planned Parenthood at the Rally for a Moral Budget in Columbia, SC!
Saturday, March 12th @ 1pm
The Statehouse, Columbia, SC
We’re joining forces with progressive organizations across the state to rally for a moral budget.
As legislators meet about the state budget, it’s critical that they are reminded that the decisions they make reflect the priorities of our state government when it comes to real people’s real lives.
There’s lots at stake—including family planning funding and prevention, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections. Funding family planning and disease prevention and treatment is not only the right thing to do, but it actually SAVES money in the long run. For every one dollar spent on family planning, over four dollars is saved. HIV treatment through the AIDS Drug Assistance Program reduces hospitalizations—reducing taxpayer burdens for hospital care of the uninsured. HIV-related indigent hospital care accounted for $9.6 million in care in 2008 in South Carolina.
Buses and carpools are being organized across the state. Contact me at sloane.whelan@pphsinc.org or at 843.628.4380 ext.6446 for information on rides in your area.
Read more about the rally and the other organizations involved at www.scpronet.com.
Posted in Uncategorized
The House Judiciary Committee is Hearing HB 3408 TOMORROW Afternoon!
HB 3408 bans insurance coverage of abortion in EVERY insurance plan offered in South Carolina. Even if a woman pays her premium with her own money she will not have the option to purchase a plan in South Carolina that covers abortion. Furthermore, it only makes an exception for when a woman’s life is endangered. That means it makes no exceptions for situations involving rape, incest, fetal abnormality, or when the mental or physical health of the woman is threatened.
This bill goes TOO FAR! Only four other states in the country have insurance bans as extreme as the one proposed here.
Email Your Representative RIGHT NOW! Ask him/her to OPPOSE HB 3408 and protect women’s access to safe, legal medical care.
*Note: This alert is for judiciary committee members, if you do not live in a district with a member on the committee, the system will recognize that and inform you.*
Did you know that January is Cervical Health Awareness Month? What is that you say…that every month is some sort of awareness month? This may or may not be true 
, but this one is for real, People! The United States Congress designated the month of January as Cervical Health Awareness Month, so it’s official.
All kidding aside, cervical health is very important. Did you know that in 2007, 4,021 women in the United States died from cervical cancer (cdc.gov)? But, this is not just a woman’s issue; the human Papillomavirus (HPV), the sexually transmitted infection that can cause cervical cancer, can also cause penile, neck, and many other types of cancer (cdc.gov). In fact, it is estimated that HPV will affect 75% to 80% of males and females in their lifetime (hpvinfo.com). To help you learn more about HPV and cancer, the Center for Disease Control has thorough and easy-to-understand webpages devoted to educating you on this issue. Click here to be directed to their website.
HPV and Cervical Cancer are preventable. The vaccine Gardasil helps protect against 4 types (out of 40) of HPV and is approved for both males and females. To learn more about the vaccine and get your questions answered click here.
Have you read enough? Are you ready to get tested? Are you ready to get the vaccine? Make an appointment TODAY at your local Planned Parenthood Health Center.
In the meantime, check out this awesome video from WORD (Women’s Oncology Research and Dialogue) on HPV and the vaccine. Click here to watch it!
Posted in Uncategorized
Check out my interview from last Monday with Frank Knapp, the host of Columbia’s radio talk show U Need 2 Know! We had a thoughtful conversation about the upcoming legislative session here in South Carolina and the potential battles we may face.
Posted in In the News, Legislative Updates
On Behalf of the Ryan White Program, We Invite You to Attend the 2nd Annual AIDS Walk.
The Ryan White Program helps coordinate comprehensive medical care for people living with HIV/AIDS. The program is an early intervention service program designed to help improve the quality and availability of primary healthcare for those with HIV/AIDS.
The 2 mile walk will begin at 9 am. Following the walk, there will be activities including face painting, jump castles, vendors, and more from 10 a.m. – 12 noon.
Between 2007 and 2008, 1,492 people were newly diagnosed with HIV in South Carolina alone.
Do you want to help those in need while having a great time? Attend the 2010 AIDS Walk on Saturday!
WHEN: Saturday, November 13, 2010
TIME: 9am-12pm
WHERE: Hampton Park, Downtown Charleston
HOW: Register when you arrive!
Strollers and Pets on Leashes are Welcome! T-Shirts are provided for all registered attendees!
For more information on the 2010 AIDS Walk please contact Ashley Redmond at 843.402.1067, ashley.redmond@rsfh.com or Ella Fleming at 843.402.1096, ella.fleming@rsfh.com
Posted in Uncategorized
…We can change the face of reproductive healthcare in South Carolina. That’s what I say to my volunteers right before they hit the pavement. As the Planned Parenthood public affairs coordinator here in South Carolina one of my jobs is to maintain and expand our extensive grassroots field campaign. The prevention first campaign was launched in Charleston almost two years ago and now we have taken it to the upstate! A huge part of the campaign is a canvassing or door knocking program. dozens of pp volunteers go door to door collecting postcards in support of expanding access to contraception and medically accurate sex ed. We then mail those postcards to their state legislators, showing them that their constituents support prevention first.
Upstate South Carolina is home to some of the most anti-choice legislatures in the General Assembly and is also widely understood as the most conservative area of the state. However, it is also the most rural part of the state where access to contraception is few and far between. So while I was apprehensive about doing work there, it is in the upstate where the need is greatest.
With only a handful of contacts in the community and my office packed into my car I hit the road! As I drove northbound along the 26 corridor I wondered how people would react at the doors and if I would even get volunteers to sign up.
My apprehension was proved wrong quickly when there was standing room only at the informational session. People stayed for over an hour after; each telling me their story and why they wanted to get involved. Two weeks later, over 200 postcards collected and 11 volunteers later…I would say we are well on our way to changing the face of reproductive healthcare in South Carolina!
Some members of my devoted canvass team!
Posted in Uncategorized
Planned Parenthood Health Systems
Sloane Whelan
Patty Dillon
Kira Miskimmin
Jessica