As a long-time employee of Planned Parenthood, I'm proud to say I work for an organization that does so much for women and families in our community. From cancer screenings to pregnancy testing and options counseling, we provide high-quality, affordable, confidential and non-judgmental health care services to the more than 30,000 people we serve in the Greater Washington - Northern Idaho area annually.
Our communities know they can rely on us to help keep them healthy, no matter what, and it's an honor to be here for them.
Recently, this paper published an article that I found disturbing and misleading. Mischaracterizing Planned Parenthood and the work we do is a disservice to your readers.
Planned Parenthood provides a wide range of reproductive health services, and offers women and their families medically accurate information in order that they may make fully informed health care decisions for themselves. Every person walks in their own shoes on their own journey. We will support them, but we do not presume to make personal medical decisions for them, or offer them false information in the hopes of influencing the choices they make in consultation with their family and their faith.
We believe that any organization purporting to provide women with medical care should be held to the same standards: offering sound medical advice, respecting patient privacy and disclosing their intentions to mislead or misinform women about the kind of medical treatment they can expect when they walk in the door. Please keep in mind that no organization in this country does more to prevent unintended pregnancy than Planned Parenthood - and by advocating for further access to family planning services such as contraception, we continue to do so every day.
/s/ Adelita Flores, Grandview
