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Kelsey Linnell is an advocate for Maine Family Planning.
Four years ago, my birth control malfunctioned, and it needed immediate attention. I still have a photo of that tiny T-shaped device in my palm. I had my IUD placed right after I had my son. It offered me the relief of a low-maintenance birth control method and allowed me to focus on being a great single mom to my incredible, now 6-year-old, boy.
I called my OB-GYN to have it replaced. My insurance refused to cover a replacement because it’s supposed to last for seven years, and it had only been two years since I had my IUD placed. My insurance company quoted me $1,200 for a replacement, which is an impossible price to pay, as I told the doctor. But the IUD was the method I had chosen and it was working well. The OB-GYN suggested I reach out to Maine Family Planning (MFP) to see how they could help.
Like many people, birth control is how I maintain control over my reproductive life. I believe that the ability to choose when and if we get pregnant allows us to build the healthiest, happiest families. I know what’s best for me and my family, and right now, that means being able to prevent pregnancy.
As a resident of Lewiston, I was thrilled to be able to quickly get an appointment at MFP’s Lewiston location. I was incredibly nervous about the procedure, but my providers immediately put me at ease. I felt safe, comfortable, and respected. They sat with me, explained the entire procedure from start to finish, and allowed me to ask plenty of questions. They offered me pain relief options and even made me laugh when I was terrified. I didn’t feel like I was just another patient they were trying to quickly move in and out of the office. Instead, I was treated like a human being and shown immense respect and care.
As I checked out that day, I was thrilled to learn I had qualified for free health care that I otherwise would not have been able to access. A huge burden was lifted knowing that I had the contraception I needed, without having to carry a big medical bill balance for many months.
Family planning health centers in Maine are a lifeline for our communities. Many of us count on our local MFP for a wide variety of basic, essential healthcare that often we can’t otherwise access. Mainers are facing innumerable barriers to accessing healthcare, from insurance coverage fights to providers not accepting new patients, from transportation barriers to federal attacks on Medicaid funding. Family planning centers show up for all Mainers.
Years of underfunding and cuts to federal funding sources, however, are threatening to prompt health center closures and weaken Maine’s health care safety net — the family planning network. This comes as the Trump administration has made the dangerous decision to withhold Title X funds from our family planning network. In addition, the budget reconciliation bill being debated in Congress aims to cut Medicaid reimbursements for abortion providers. If fully realized, the volume of threats to our healthcare safety net could eviscerate Mainers’ access to the whole spectrum of reproductive healthcare and basic preventive care.
In a time of relentless attacks on our ability to access basic health services from the federal government, I believe it is the duty of our Legislature to protect its constituents. The Maine Legislature has an opportunity to step up and act in this moment of profound difficulty for the network of family planning providers in our state. Call your state legislators today and tell them to commit to funding LD 143 to protect our access to these basic health services.
