Insider News May 2022
In this issue:
- President & CEO Message
- Community Advisory Board for Abortion Access Recruiting Members
- Education and Training Engaging Youth
- High School Advocacy Program Graduates 16 Students
- Pass the Equality Amendment
- How You Can Help
- In Case You Missed It
Dear Friends,
By now, the shock of the leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court has subsided but the feeling of fighting back is even stronger. I know many of you have been attending rallies to show your support for abortion access and the right for people to control their own bodies. And you are not alone. On Saturday, May 14, 99 Planned Parenthood organizations, including Planned Parenthood Action Fund and Planned Parenthood Generation organizations, organized rallies in 44 states with an estimated turnover of more than 1 million people!
I’m excited to share that the Westchester County Board of Legislators has introduced a bill to protect our patients and staff from protesters. Their safety and security are our top priority and I applaud the legislature for taking this action.
I know you want to know what are the next steps you can take in this fight. First, encourage your state legislators to pass the Equality Amendment. More information about that is down below. You can also support our community drive for abortion aftercare kits which will be provided to our patients. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to stay up-to-date on what is happening at PPHP and issues related to sexual and reproductive health care and share our posts so your friends and family stay informed as well.
Thank you for your continued support of PPHP and helping us empower individuals to determine their own sexual health and reproductive futures.
In this together,
Vincent Russell
President & CEO
Community Advisory Board for Abortion Access Recruiting Members
We are launching a Community Advisory Board (CAB) and we are currently recruiting members. The main goal of our CAB is to make abortion more accessible and equitable. Our CAB will be comprised of patients, community members, and community partners, and will focus on discussing the barriers many face when accessing abortion services and what resources may help mitigate those challenges. The CAB is an opportunity for members of our community to positively impact abortion care and services at PPHP.
The recent news about a possible overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court adds another layer and urgency to our work to increase access. No matter what the Supreme Court decides, abortion will remain legal in New York. Our important work within the CAB will encompass the needs of both our New York residents as well as our visitors from other states who will be forced to come to New York for their abortion care.
Here are some additional details about the CAB:
- We are intentionally seeking to recruit a diverse group of individuals, with varying identities and perspectives. Having personal experience with an abortion is not required to join the CAB, and we will not ask potential CAB members to disclose this information.
- The CAB will meet virtually over Zoom four to six times between May 2022 and January 2023.
- Each CAB member will receive $50 for each 2-hour virtual CAB meeting.
- Spanish interpretation will made available.
Interested in joining us? Please fill out the interest form here. Please do not hesitate to reach out to [email protected] with any questions.
Education and Training Engaging Youth
Our Education and Training team has reached 1,666 young people through 197 programs in all four counties we serve so far this year. This includes general education programming, Evidence Based Programming (EBP), Spanish-programming, and sex education for young people with intellectual and developmental delays and disabilities (ID/D). Our Personal Responsibility and Education Program (PREP) team has also started EBP cycles with Hope for Youth and Brentwood Outreach, community building with OLA of Long Island, and hosting a Food and Game night each month. The Education and Training team also participated in two community outreach panels, including the annual Take Back the Night event in collaboration with Croton Harmon High School and a panel on the importance of teaching Healthy Relationships and Consent programming for the neurodiverse community organized SLP Empowered alongside various organizations in Westchester County.
Our team is concluding our Teen Information and Peer Services (TIPS) programs in Suffolk, Westchester, and Rockland counties through weekly and bi-weekly meetings covering a range of social justice and reproductive health topics. The TIPS participants have co-facilitated sexual and reproductive health education programs in high schools this spring semester and reached 352 individuals through 29 education and outreach programs.
In Westchester County, our Promotores program participants, who have completed their training, are now engaging in community outreach in Spanish. They are working with the Promotores Coordinator to schedule Spanish-speaking summer and fall programming and outreach events with various community partners.
To learn more about our Education and Training programs, please visit https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-hudson-peconic/local-education-training.
High School Advocacy Program Graduates 16 Students
On May 10, 16 high school students graduated from our third cohort of the High School Advocacy Program. Throughout eight sessions together over four months, these students learned about community organizing, different ways to take action, lobbying, storytelling, abortion stigma, and more. The program came to its culmination with the students working together to identify, plan, and present a community action for their friends and family. This session’s students chose an issue close to home for many of them and where they felt their voices would be key to change—comprehensive sex education. To make this change, they encouraged attendees to call their elected officials urging their support on vital legislation and share experiences and information on social media to educate their community.
This summer PPHP is premiering its Youth Summer Series for individuals ages 14 to 20 in which they will learn about storytelling in action, social media for social change, and being an anti-racist leader. Join us this summer by signing up here. The next cohort of the High School Advocacy Program will begin in Spring of 2023 and applications will open in at the end of 2022.
If you have questions or want to learn more, email Madison at [email protected].
Thank you to those who joined us in Albany on May 10 to rally and lobby for the passage of the Equality Amendment. It was a great day, but our work is not done. There are only a few days remaining in the New York State legislative session and we need to pass the Equality Amendment now!
The Equality Amendment will:
- expand the number of protected classes. We know there are a lot of identities and groups who do not have full civil rights protections. The Equality Amendment would change that.
- It would provide a pathway to sue in state court citing the Equality Amendment if someone in a protected class experiences discrimination.
- Lastly, it would establish a new standard to prove discrimination. It is very difficult to prove discrimination, and the Equality Amendment would change this.
Please contact your New York State Senator and Assembly member and urge them to vote in favor of the Equality Amendment
We have exciting events planned for 2022! Be sure to mark your calendars and check your email for more details and ticket and sponsorship opportunities.
The East End Benefit
Saturday, June 4, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
The Bridgehampton Tennis and Surf Club, Bridgehampton
Honoring Sandy Perlbinder
The Summer Benefit
Saturday, September 10, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
A private waterfront home in St. James
Honoring Ida and Robert Gordon and Roberta Gordon
The Empower Gala
Wednesday, October 19, 2022, 6:30 p.m.
The Sleepy Hollow Hotel and Conference Center, Tarrytown
For more information, visit our Calendar of Events. We look forward to seeing you in 2022!
You can continue to make Care. No Matter What. possible!
A monthly gift to PPHP ensures security for patients in your local communities. Consider joining our Monthly Giving Program today at www.pphp.org/donatetoday.
Double your impact! Does your employer have a matching gift program? Check with your Human Resources Department to find out. For questions, contact the Development Department at [email protected].
Committed to safeguarding the future of reproductive health care? Consider leaving a legacy gift to PPHP in your will. Please contact the Development Department at [email protected].
Do you have a little bit of time to get more involved? Visit www.pphp.org for ways you can help.
PPHP in the News:
Health: Should You Stockpile Plan B as Roe v. Wade Hangs in the Balance
Prism: Abortion Bans Will Harm People Who Miscarry Too
The Hudson Independent: Pro-Choice Rally Draws 400 to Tarrytown’s Patriot Park
The Hill: How Roe v. Wade’s reversal could affect the LGBT community