Planned Parenthood grandopening at the Villager Mall
Guaranteeing rights
Guaranteeing rights
By Jonathan Gramling
For the past 73 years, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin has been
assisting men and women in maintaining their reproductive health
through education, counseling and screenings. In 1973, the U.S.
Supreme Court recognized the inherent right to privacy in the U.S.
Constitution in its Row versus Wade ruling. While it recognized that
women have a right to make decisions regarding their bodies, without
a vehicle to protect those rights, they may remain rights on paper only.
Like the NAACP has done for civil rights, Planned Parenthood has
helped women exercise their privacy rights and make choices about
their bodies and their health.
The impact of Roe versus Wade has not been lost on
Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin who spoke at the grand opening of
Planned Parenthood’s new South Madison offices on January 23. “It is
no coincidence that we meet on the 37th anniversary of the historic
Supreme Court decision on Roe versus Wade,” Baldwin said. “I’ve told
this story before, but it bears repeating. A journalist once asked me if I
could point to one thing that has contributed most to the empowerment
of women in our society. I could have pointed to the 19th Amendment
to the Constitution giving women the right to vote or Title VII of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964 guaranteeing equal employment opportunities or
even laws mandating equal pay for equal work. But instead I
responded that it is the array of legal choices a woman now has to
make it possible for her to plan her family, to decide whether and when
to have children through an array of choices we call reproductive
freedom that has contributed most to women’s empowerment. Think
about it. Back 37 years ago, women constituted one-third of the
workforce. Today it is half. Law schools and medical schools at that
time had fewer than 10 percent of their students as women. Today it is
almost 50 percent in each instance. Things have changed a lot
because of the tools that women now have to decide when and
whether to have children. 37 years after Roe versus Wade, our rights
to reproductive freedom are still under siege. It is as critical as ever
that we protect our rights and preserve Planned Parenthood of
Wisconsin and the healthcare it provides.”
For the past 73 years, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin has been
assisting men and women in maintaining their reproductive health
through education, counseling and screenings. In 1973, the U.S.
Supreme Court recognized the inherent right to privacy in the U.S.
Constitution in its Row versus Wade ruling. While it recognized that
women have a right to make decisions regarding their bodies, without
a vehicle to protect those rights, they may remain rights on paper only.
Like the NAACP has done for civil rights, Planned Parenthood has
helped women exercise their privacy rights and make choices about
their bodies and their health.
The impact of Roe versus Wade has not been lost on
Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin who spoke at the grand opening of
Planned Parenthood’s new South Madison offices on January 23. “It is
no coincidence that we meet on the 37th anniversary of the historic
Supreme Court decision on Roe versus Wade,” Baldwin said. “I’ve told
this story before, but it bears repeating. A journalist once asked me if I
could point to one thing that has contributed most to the empowerment
of women in our society. I could have pointed to the 19th Amendment
to the Constitution giving women the right to vote or Title VII of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964 guaranteeing equal employment opportunities or
even laws mandating equal pay for equal work. But instead I
responded that it is the array of legal choices a woman now has to
make it possible for her to plan her family, to decide whether and when
to have children through an array of choices we call reproductive
freedom that has contributed most to women’s empowerment. Think
about it. Back 37 years ago, women constituted one-third of the
workforce. Today it is half. Law schools and medical schools at that
time had fewer than 10 percent of their students as women. Today it is
almost 50 percent in each instance. Things have changed a lot
because of the tools that women now have to decide when and
whether to have children. 37 years after Roe versus Wade, our rights
to reproductive freedom are still under siege. It is as critical as ever
that we protect our rights and preserve Planned Parenthood of
Wisconsin and the healthcare it provides.”
Teri Huyck, president/CEO of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, emphasized that in the vast majority of its efforts, Planned Parenthood
helps women and men make positive choices about their bodies. “97 percent of what we do is about prevention,” Huyck emphasized. “With
this health center, we focus on those preventative measures that help women and girls and young men protect themselves not only from
unwanted pregnancies, but also from sexually transmitted diseases. We also provide care for prevention of cervical cancer and detection of
breast cancer.”
Meghan Benson, Planned Parenthood’s education director for Dane County, bemoaned the past efforts of the Bush administration to
emphasize “abstinence only” in its sex education efforts and funding. “Slowly I am starting to see everyone else from policy makers to
parents to teachers pulling their heads out of the sand,” Benson said. “We definitely have a problem when it comes to the sexual
reproductive health of young people. Unfortunately over the past ten years, I have not seen much improvement in this area. Rising rates of
teen births and skyrocketing rates of STDs among young people confirm this. But I am hopeful. After more than a decade of federal funding for
ineffective abstinence-only education, we have a new administration committed to evidence-based practice when it comes to reducing rates
of teen pregnancy and STDs.”
It has been necessary for Planned Parenthood to keep up with the rapid adoption of technology by young people and the heavy use of it
for social networking. “We are currently developing educational resources to address the emerging challenges presented by young people
use of technology such as sexting and cyberbullying,” Benson said. “Education in this area is very important to Planned Parenthood because
we see these virtual behaviors impacting the real life decisions of teens about sex and relationships.”
Baldwin noted how important Planned Parenthood is to the health of young people, particularly young women. “There is a restaurant in
my office building here in Madison where most of the servers are young women,” Baldwin said. “Some are students. Some have finished
with their college education. Just last week, one of these young women told one of my staffers that she works two jobs, babysits on the side
and she doesn’t have any health insurance. Luckily, she said without prompting, ‘I can get most of my needs met through Planned
Parenthood.’ For this woman and so many others like her, Planned Parenthood is a lifeline, making the difference between good health and
bad health, between an unwanted pregnancy and a wanted one, between struggling alone and having caring, confident support through a
health crisis. You may never meet Lisa who started going to Planned Parenthood when she was 21 years old and whose life was potentially
saved because of a diagnosis at one of their clinics. You may never meet Emilie who has been a Planned Parenthood client since she was
17 years old and who now at age 30, is expecting her first child, a much wanted and planned child thanks to your support of this
organization.”
Over the course of the past few years, two problems have led to one solution. For the past 15 years, Planned Parenthood had been
trying to move out of its W. Mifflin Street clinic because the building was slowly falling apart around them. And the city of Madison was trying
to rebuild the Villager Mall in order to revitalize the South Madison area. While Planned Parenthood had offices in the Harambee Center,
locating in the Urban League’s new building abutting S. Park Street, represents an investment and commitment to providing services as a
part of a larger array of services.
“The Villager provides a wonderful combination of services so that someone who brings their child in for a check-up can leave with
books for her children, reproductive healthcare for herself, free tax assistance and some good Asian groceries to boot,” said Janet Piraino,
chief of staff to Mayor Dave Cieslewicz. “This building and this clinic have been a long time coming. It has been worth the wait. The Villager
is reawakening today into something that is newer and stronger.”
But if you build it, will they come? “I admit that I was skeptical that our West Mifflin Street patients would find us, but I have been
pleasantly surprised by the number of W. Mifflin Street patients who have been coming to our center,” said Jessie Letarte, the center’s office
manager. “We opened on December 1. That was the first day that we provided services. Even on Day One, we were very busy and have
been ever since. This center is a merge of our Madison South and W. Mifflin Street centers. We also have a fair number of new patients,
which is very exciting for us.”
At its new South Madison location, Planned Parenthood is picking up where it left off, serving more than 4,000 residents of Dane County
every year.
helps women and men make positive choices about their bodies. “97 percent of what we do is about prevention,” Huyck emphasized. “With
this health center, we focus on those preventative measures that help women and girls and young men protect themselves not only from
unwanted pregnancies, but also from sexually transmitted diseases. We also provide care for prevention of cervical cancer and detection of
breast cancer.”
Meghan Benson, Planned Parenthood’s education director for Dane County, bemoaned the past efforts of the Bush administration to
emphasize “abstinence only” in its sex education efforts and funding. “Slowly I am starting to see everyone else from policy makers to
parents to teachers pulling their heads out of the sand,” Benson said. “We definitely have a problem when it comes to the sexual
reproductive health of young people. Unfortunately over the past ten years, I have not seen much improvement in this area. Rising rates of
teen births and skyrocketing rates of STDs among young people confirm this. But I am hopeful. After more than a decade of federal funding for
ineffective abstinence-only education, we have a new administration committed to evidence-based practice when it comes to reducing rates
of teen pregnancy and STDs.”
It has been necessary for Planned Parenthood to keep up with the rapid adoption of technology by young people and the heavy use of it
for social networking. “We are currently developing educational resources to address the emerging challenges presented by young people
use of technology such as sexting and cyberbullying,” Benson said. “Education in this area is very important to Planned Parenthood because
we see these virtual behaviors impacting the real life decisions of teens about sex and relationships.”
Baldwin noted how important Planned Parenthood is to the health of young people, particularly young women. “There is a restaurant in
my office building here in Madison where most of the servers are young women,” Baldwin said. “Some are students. Some have finished
with their college education. Just last week, one of these young women told one of my staffers that she works two jobs, babysits on the side
and she doesn’t have any health insurance. Luckily, she said without prompting, ‘I can get most of my needs met through Planned
Parenthood.’ For this woman and so many others like her, Planned Parenthood is a lifeline, making the difference between good health and
bad health, between an unwanted pregnancy and a wanted one, between struggling alone and having caring, confident support through a
health crisis. You may never meet Lisa who started going to Planned Parenthood when she was 21 years old and whose life was potentially
saved because of a diagnosis at one of their clinics. You may never meet Emilie who has been a Planned Parenthood client since she was
17 years old and who now at age 30, is expecting her first child, a much wanted and planned child thanks to your support of this
organization.”
Over the course of the past few years, two problems have led to one solution. For the past 15 years, Planned Parenthood had been
trying to move out of its W. Mifflin Street clinic because the building was slowly falling apart around them. And the city of Madison was trying
to rebuild the Villager Mall in order to revitalize the South Madison area. While Planned Parenthood had offices in the Harambee Center,
locating in the Urban League’s new building abutting S. Park Street, represents an investment and commitment to providing services as a
part of a larger array of services.
“The Villager provides a wonderful combination of services so that someone who brings their child in for a check-up can leave with
books for her children, reproductive healthcare for herself, free tax assistance and some good Asian groceries to boot,” said Janet Piraino,
chief of staff to Mayor Dave Cieslewicz. “This building and this clinic have been a long time coming. It has been worth the wait. The Villager
is reawakening today into something that is newer and stronger.”
But if you build it, will they come? “I admit that I was skeptical that our West Mifflin Street patients would find us, but I have been
pleasantly surprised by the number of W. Mifflin Street patients who have been coming to our center,” said Jessie Letarte, the center’s office
manager. “We opened on December 1. That was the first day that we provided services. Even on Day One, we were very busy and have
been ever since. This center is a merge of our Madison South and W. Mifflin Street centers. We also have a fair number of new patients,
which is very exciting for us.”
At its new South Madison location, Planned Parenthood is picking up where it left off, serving more than 4,000 residents of Dane County
every year.
