Planned Parenthood...

I'm a republican. I vote by my party and am usually pretty conservative. Key word usually. I campaigned during the last election and have strong feelings on certain issues. And that's about where it ends. Because to tell ya the truth, I honestly can't tell you who our governor is, how I feel or where I stand on abortion, or the least bit of factual information about the government shutdown. Slap my wrist, I'm uninformed.

What I can tell you is that I hate government programs that help people that shouldn't be helped. I can't stand the government housing bailout- don't even get me started on that subject because I do have opinions. Buying a 700,000 home when you bring home $5,000 a month... Um, if you are so wondeful to afford that home, maybe you should have run the numbers and realized that your poor ass couldn't afford it. Stop blaming the mortgage companies and spare me. I can't stand it when I see people on food stamps that use food stamps to buy their groceries and then proceed to use their money to buy 20 packs of cigs or 50 pounds of cat food. I can't stand abused unemployment... and the list goes on and on. I can't stand these things... but I can guarantee this- I can't stand them... until I walk in other people's shoes. While I'm still against these programs until they are regulated properly (and how that's supposed to be done, I have no idea)... I can promise you that I can take any Republican out there and link them to someone that uses a program that we are against... and "in that situation" when it applies to them, they support it. And for me, that's Planned Parenthood.

The story goes something like this: During my sophomore year in college, by BFF and I decided to travel to Florida to watch my hunka-hunka burning love (as in my hubby:)) play in a college baseball tourney. Back then, anyone could walk to the gate at the airport even if you weren't boarding a plane. I was nineteen years old and still too timid to fly standby all by myself (my mom worked for the airlines) so my mommy tagged along with me for moral support. I had my carry-on backpack and my tail started sweating as we went through security. And just my luck, my backpack caused alarm... and had to be searched. Busted. Right in front of Judy Booty, the authorities pulled out none other than her blender. Ha! Blades and all, it was allowed to be returned to my bookbag for boarding and let me just tell ya that it made some mighty fine cocktails during that trip.:) My mom still tells that story ... but what is still a secret to this day is why my tail was sweating. Trust me- I could have cared less about the blender being found- that was just a typical Shelley moment. What I was freaking out about was the fact that my birth control pack was in my bookbag. I was convinced that the tin foil backing on the pills had set off the alarm and my mama was going to find out I was on the pill. God forbid. Little did my mama know... the truth is out now.

Ya see, my family didn't talk about sex. We had great insurance and I could have easily gotten any medication from my family doctor. But I chose to walk through the doors of the New River Valley Planned Parenthood, and it was one of the best things I ever did.

Sitting in the waiting room, I saw people from all walks of life that truly needed help. And Planned Parenthood provides that. I was treated with respect, seen by a doctor, given the pill, and then had to sit with a "counselor" who explained the pill- as well as all kind of facts about S-E-X. I was informed about risks, precautions I needed to take, and for the first time felt like the subjuct of sex wasn't so faux pas. And that led to a three year positive relationship with Planned Parenthood.

Thank you government for funding my choice- even when this upper middle-class girl didn't need your aid. I am forever indebted to you and can't thank you enough for spending your precious dollars on me. And in the end, I know that your money was worth it. I made it out of college without STD's, in charge of my sexual health, and low and behold didn't find myself knocked up.

If through the eyes of Republicans abortions shouldn't be made, shouldn't clinics such as Planned Parenthood be available to women who need them? To me, if you are so worried about a fetus, you should be providing their mom prenatal care. As a group home counselor that was always taking pregnant teens to appointments, perhaps if teens knew they could go to a Planned Parenthood for protection, we would be stuck with babies raising babies. I could go on and on, but that's just my little spiel and support for Planned Parenthood...

Maybe Sarah Palin should have urged other Republicans about their stance on Planned Parenthood. Because let me tell ya- nothing about parenthood is planned. And Bristol sure could have used their services.

For the record... I would've still voted for her. The pro's outweight the con's.:)