Access to abortion is being decimated across the country in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, putting the future of abortion access in the hands of the states. In Massachusetts, abortion remains legal and protected, but access to care is not guaranteed due to serious barriers like distance, affordability, pervasive stigma, and systemic racism. These challenges disproportionately affect people of color, LGBTQ+ people, people with low incomes, and people with disabilities. As more people look to Massachusetts as a safe place for care, we must affirm the state’s commitment to abortion rights and improve access to care so all people can make the decision that is right for them. 

Every person deserves full access to quality sexual and reproductive health care, information, and education that meets their needs, no matter who they are or where they live. PPLM has been working for nearly 40 years to address health inequities in communities where we could make an impact, yet stigma and systemic racism still deny people access to care and information. Outcomes and evaluation results from our current work in Worcester and Springfield will inform PPLM’s work in these regions — and beyond — for years to come. 

Every person should be able to access and afford health care in their community, but there are serious barriers to sexual and reproductive health care, even in Massachusetts. Policies are meaningless unless people can, in practice, reach our services in our health centers or in their homes. To tear down these barriers, we must find creative solutions to reach patients and transform how we deliver health care. 

Through telehealth, we are now able to provide expert, confidential care virtually for thousands of patients across the state, including contraception consultations and prescriptions, gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT), medication abortion care, at-home STI testing, and more. 

With abortion bans eliminating health care access for millions of Americans, Massachusetts has the opportunity — and the obligation — to be a leader in sexual and reproductive health care. PPLM’s new ASPIRE (Advancing Science and Practice through Innovations in Research and Education) Center for Sexual and Reproductive Health works to advance excellence and equity in sexual and reproductive health and well-being through research, professional education, and clinical training. ASPIRE leverages a broad range of partners in this work: academic institutions, teaching hospitals, health care professionals, social service and community-based organizations, schools, educators, and peer institutions. 

Every patient deserves an advocate — in the exam room and beyond. PPLM’s ability to provide care is protected and strengthened by its political and advocacy arm, the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts (PPAF). We fight for our patients’ entire well-being and for their communities, advocating for bold policies that advance health equity and that push Massachusetts to the forefront of reproductive freedom and health care access.  

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