Well, First off, you know your
reaction to the news of this.
This leak last night.
I know it was something that we
previously discussed was something
that you kind of were preparing
for for for quite some time,
but just initial reactions.
It's disappointing, let's be clear
that this is just the beginning.
The majority of the court is
attacking the right to abortion,
which we see as essential health
care and we are proud to provide
those opposed to safe legal
abortion have already signaled that
they're going after birth control.
They're going after gay marriage and
they're going after transgender people,
so it's it's really disappointing for
our community to know that we're here.
We're sitting in the reality of it.
I think it's a lot.
Different to speculate,
this could or couldn't happen,
but we're here and we've been
preparing for this moment,
and So what happens next is we need
to make sure that we're providing
care to anyone that comes to a Planned
Parenthood marmonte Health Center.
Talk to us about the most
immediate impacts, which is.
There are some folks who have been
impacted by the decisions made in Texas
who have already come to Sacramento.
What has been?
Can you tell us how many patients have
come at least to Sacramento from out
of state and and what the need has
been just in the immediate changes
even before any type of you know,
major federal decision on this.
Absolutely, it's unacceptable for anyone
to be forced to travel from their
home to exercise their constitutional
right to a central healthcare,
because currently abortion is still
law of the land at Planned Parenthood.
Marmonte health centers between
July 2021 and April 15th of 2022,
we've provided abortion care to
80 patients from out of state.
29 of those patients who've traveled from
Texas did so after SBP 8 went into effect,
and ultimately, the reversal of row.
Could drive up the number of out-of-state
patients whose nearest abortion
provider would be in California.
So roughly with Rowan Place,
that's about 46,000 people without row.
That's about one or excuse me.
One point 4,000,000 folks coming
to California for services.
That is, seems like a dramatic
increase on a services that already
in some cases are stretched thin,
especially depending on where
you go even in California.
Yes, for sure.
You know it's it's already a challenge
to seek these services in California,
mainly in our Central Valley Health centers.
I mean, the distance between
health centers is a Great Barrier
and many of our patients are
low income and people of color.
They may have experienced some
sort of interpersonal and domestic
violence and so that challenge
continues to be a problem and
then it's further exacerbated by
more folks seeking care here in
California and Planned Parenthood,
Marmonte has.
Been working towards this moment
we are expanding access to care
by having more clinicians more
providers renovations to health to
our health centers to make sure we
have more exam rooms for patients
and so all we can do is continue to
expand and make sure that we that
our services are not impacted for
Californians and that we have more
space and are available to those
who seek care here in California.
There are folks who have experienced
things like domestic violence or
interpersonal violence or reproductive
coercion who may be seeking abortion.
May have to come from out of state and
into California to to get services if this.
Leaked ruling passes,
which I think many have speculated it will.
What are some of the challenges
for folks that need that would
have to come to California in
those situations in terms of,
I suppose, resources,
even being able to get there and some
of the additional barriers on top of
what they already might be going through.
Uh, let's be clear that this is just
the beginning and the thing about it.
Is abortion bans don't.
Take the need away for abortion, right?
They simply make it very unsafe and
people who cannot afford to access
abortion in the state where they live
will also be subject to these hardships
and so people who are already in poverty
will be most impacted by this decision.
And so folks who are coming through
Ministate will experience great barriers,
mainly around transportation,
lost wages, child care,
the whole patient navigation.
When someone comes to a Planned Parenthood.
Charmante Health Center.
They're they're getting care,
but they're also getting
wrapped around services,
so we provide telehealth resources and
we'll provide interpersonal violence,
screenings, and so we're looking at a
new way of doing that across state borders.
And we knew, unfortunately,
this was coming.
And so we've been working on
an infrastructure to be able
to support those patients,
and hopefully we're able to
meet the need and care,
provide care for everyone.
Obviously we know a lot of the
infrastructure is kind of already in place.
There may be need.
There may be a need for funding,
especially down the line,
especially essentially if we're starting
to create a pipeline of folks coming
from out of state to get a services.
But can you talk about the challenges
from your perspective in terms of, say,
someone calls you from Texas today, what?
What do you have to do to to even you know,
be able to get them here.
You know to be able to receive service.
Absolutely, you know Planned Parenthood
marmonte between July 2021 and April
of this year have provided abortion
care to 80 patients. From modesty.
29 of those folks have traveled
from Texas and they did so after
the SBA ruling went into effect.
So typically out-of-state patients
are going to call and they
have real needs and concerns.
And so we help with the wrap around services.
When someone calls, they need patient.
Navigation they need
child care transportation.
We may connect them with the local
abortion fund and then we try to
see them immediately as possible.
And so I think the challenges of doing
that is we don't know the number of
folks that will be coming to us and
so our hope is that we're able to
care for those coming to California
through the investments of the state
budget and the Women's Caucus has
produced an amazing legislative package
that will allow us to spend care not
just to folks from out of state,
but.
Also maintain and protect what
Californians here are able to access.
Some of the challenges that
and roadblocks that you know.
Organizations such as yourselves
or even other organizations that
kind of do something similar,
but also different like V aid resources.
Places like we've, what do you expect?
Some of the challenges are
going to be for you all,
potentially moving forward.
If you have, say you know a surge
of people coming from out of state.
If big changes like Roe V
Wade get gets overturned.
I mean, I think the challenges
are just making sure that we're
there to provide the care.
This is not going to be just a
Planned Parenthood approach.
This is going to be a people approach
and what we put first is our patients.
Our patients don't care who we are,
they just want to be served and so if
that means we need to have a robust
network of Community organizations to
provide some of that wrap around care,
we will build the infrastructure
and we're not starting from nowhere.
We have been working tirelessly
with organizations.
On the ground in Sacramento and
throughout the service area.
To be able to figure out what
that infrastructure looks like,
but we all have a role to play
in making sure that folks can get
the care they need and the sexual
and reproductive health care,
including abortion, is accessible.
And everything that comes with it
because folks are not just coming
to get care.
There are people and we have to
put our patients 1st and lean on
our Community partners to step up.
If we feel there's a role for them to
play as the leaders in that space.
Whether it's domestic violence or
other things that folks experience
like our LGBTQ patients who may
need those services?
I mean, we're all intersectional all humans,
right?
So we just want to make sure we're
taking care of the whole person and
we'll work with the community to do that.
We've seen in the past couple of years,
especially during the pandemic.
You know, issues of domestic violence
really increasing in our country.
You know what?
What do you suspect this you know?
If this Roe V Wade is overturned,
a greater impact on folks not only
maybe seeking abortion services
or other services in California,
but folks who are.
Experiencing interpersonal violence.
Do you expect it to potentially get worse,
especially in those states that
are likely to trigger laws that
could essentially criminalize
or illegalize abortion?
I wish I had a crystal
ball for that question,
but I do think as we know that these
abortion bans and you know these,
these lack of access.
This definitely impact women of color.
They impact poor folk.
They impact people that
are already marginalized.
People that are already being
burdened by systemic barriers,
and so you can only imagine that those
things will still increase, right?
So homelessness, domestic violence,
all of the things that.
Folks experience are still
going to be happening.
In addition to them trying to seek
an abortion or trying to seek care,
and so we will play our role to
make sure that our doors are open.
Our clinicians can provide the care.
Whatever we can do to support our community,
but we certainly know that this
is just a devastating time for
folks that have reproductive age
and I don't have all the answers,
but I do know we have been working
towards this moment and our doors will
always be open in California and Nevada.
And however we can.
Serve and help our patients.
We are more than willing
to step up and do so.
It feels like a very sad
time in our in our history.
As someone who's a young person,
this is the first time I've ever
lost a constitutional right.
But I'm motivated and hopeful
because we can be different.
We can be the leaders in
California and if we get it right,
that can open the doors to many
other States and so don't lose
hope and just know that we can use
all the support we can to support
people here in California and.
Those who seek to come here as
a reproductive freedom state.