Here’s What Really Goes on at Planned Parenthood Every Day
For many, Planned Parenthood is synonymous with one thing: legal abortion. But nationally, abortion makes up only 3 percent of the services the health care provider performs — and clinical services represent only a portion of the organization’s overall work.
“Most people don’t have any clue about the breadth of work we do,” says Joan Malin, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood New York City, or PPNYC, which has four health centers — one in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Staten Island, with one opening in Queens next year. In 2013, for example, PPNYC provided roughly 88,000 tests for sexually transmitted infections; 26,800 HIV tests; 64,200 family planning visits; 17,800 abortions; and set up some 6,300 clients with public health insurance, according to internal figures. PPNYC opened its doors to The Huffington Post, and its staff members gave us a glimpse of what happens in their offices on a given day, in their own words:
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