Family planning care allows people to make the reproductive health care choices that are right for them. In my early 20s, I was working a very low-paying job and needed a colposcopy after an abnormal pap smear. I was scared and broke, but I was able to access timely, affordable and compassionate care through Planned Parenthood. The results were benign, and after a short course of treatment I resumed my career and my life.

When I decided, 10 years later, to pursue pregnancy, I was able to do so with no negative consequences from my earlier health situation. That care allowed me to plan my family on my terms — and my daughter is now an 18-year-old college freshman, who is excelling in her studies and planning her own career.

Like I did in my 20s, many Mainers face barriers to care, including the financial and logistical challenges of accessing a provider. That’s particularly true in rural areas of the state. What’s more, family planning providers are often the only medical professional some patients see in a year. They play a critical role as a medical line of first defense for thousands of Mainers.

I urge our lawmakers to fund family planning care for all Mainers by passing LD 143, An Act to Improve Women’s Health and Economic Security by Funding Family Planning Services. We are counting on you to safeguard our access to reproductive health care.

Michaela Cavallaro
Portland