Prog Blogs, Orgs & Alumni
Bank Slate
Betsy Devine
birch paper
Democracy for NH
Granite State Progress
Mike Caulfield
Miscellany Blue
Pickup Patriots
Re-BlueNH
Still No Going Back
Susan the Bruce
New Hampshire Labor News
Chaz Proulx: Right Wing Watch
Politicos & Punditry
The Burt Cohen Show
John Gregg
Landrigan
Pindell
Primary Monitor
Scala
Schoenberg
Spiliotes
Campaigns, Et Alia.
NH-Gov
- Maggie Hassan
NH-01
- Andrew Hosmer
- Carol Shea-Porter
- Joanne Dowdell
NH-02
- Ann McLane Kuster
ActBlue Hampshire
NHDP
DCCC
DSCC
DNC
National
Balloon Juice
billmon
Congress Matters
DailyKos
Digby
Hold Fast
Eschaton
FiveThirtyEight
MyDD
Open Left
Senate Guru
Swing State Project
Talking Points Memo
50 State Blog Network
Alabama
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Rhode Island
Tennessee
Texas
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
I'm still unclear about why this is a story, but here we go. Anti-choice groups in New Hampshire are up in arms that a group of students recently visited a Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (PPNNE) health center as part of a tour highlighting community prevention resources for at-risk teens in Manchester.
I cannot understand why it is controversial to provide teens with information and services that prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Yet the story has become such a controversy that the city school board voted to launch an investigation. So what exactly are the anti-choice groups up in arms about?
According to Darlene Pawlik, president of New Hampshire Right to Life, the students were "exposed" to the abortion issue. As I mentioned earlier, the purpose of this visit was to provide a brief presentation to these at-risk kids focused solely on preventive health like birth control, pap smears and testing for STIs. The question burning in my mind is, "How does this expose them to abortion?" According to Pawlik, "There were protesters outside with signs saying 'Babies Killed Here.'"
So these kids were "exposed to abortion" because of the anti-choice protesters outside of the Planned Parenthood clinic. Great argument, Pawlik.
But let's get back to the real issue. This is just another attempt by anti-choice groups to attack Planned Parenthood. And the claims couldn't be further from the truth.
There are more than 860 Planned Parenthood health centers across the country that are providing critical medical and preventive health care services to women, teens, and families every day. And Planned Parenthood of Northern New England health centers are no exception. During the past several years, PPNNE has spearheaded programs that get parents talking with their kids about sexual health and relationships. They have held professional training programs on the teenage brain. They have organized house parties that give parents the opportunity to talk with each other about the issues their kids are facing. They co-sponsored the first annual Parent Expo in Manchester ? an event that featured more than 30 booths with information about parenting and growing up. PPNNE provides a safe and supportive environment that provides teens and parents with the skills and health care they need. And that should be the end of the story.
