Planned Parenthood Advocate

New fact sheet on Obamacare to educate Minnesotans on life-saving benefits

A new poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that half of Americans don’t know how the Affordable Care Act will benefit them. Moreover, 42% of Americans don’t know that the ACA is an effective law.  

In our efforts to educate Minnesotans, we’ve assembled a go-to guide on the reproductive healthcare services that will be covered under the ACA. Find our fact sheet here


Under the Obamacare legislation, 900,000 Minnesota women will have expanded access to preventive health services –including well-woman visits (annual exams), family planning, and breast-feeding support –with no co-pays. The nearly 500,000 Minnesotans who are uninsured will gain access to the healthcare they need.

Thanks to the ACA, women will have improved access to birth control. And insurance companies will no longer be able to discriminate against women.

The Affordable Care Act: Improving Women’s Health in Minnesota for Years to Come.

 

- by Shieva, Web Correspondent, Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota Action Fund

 

Planned Parenthood Celebrates 20 Years of Parent-Child Retreats

In 2010, teens across the country, ages 12 – 19, were asked: When it comes to your decisions about sex, who is most influential?  The most common response?  Parents.

Research proves the protective significance of Parent-Child Connectedness (also known as PCC) for growing children.  PCC, a strong emotional bond between parent and child, is known in the public health world as a “super protector,” buffering adolescents from the many challenges and risks they face. Strong PCC protects against 33 negative adolescent outcomes such as unintended pregnancy; HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs); violence; depression; eating disorders; alcohol, tobacco and drug use; and poor academic achievement. 

Today Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota celebrates 20 years of steadfast commitment to fostering PCC in local communities.  Since 1992, Planned Parenthood has offered more than 100 Parent-Child retreats (totaling over 1,000 participants) across the state of Minnesota.  At these one-day retreats, parents and mentors discuss emerging sexuality with their children in a comfortable, supportive environment.  Tonight at Planned Parenthood’s flagship headquarters in St. Paul, past and present program participants, volunteers, staff and supporters will join to recognize this incredible achievement.

Planned Parenthood is dedicated to providing accurate, age-appropriate, culturally relevant information to children and teens, and offers a broad range of education programs across Minnesota.  To learn more about the importance of supporting Parent-Child Connectedness in our communities, check out Planned Parenthood’s complete report, or download Planned Parenthood’s Let’s Talk tablemat! 

	All-day retreats for daughters, ages 10-12, and their mothers or female mentors.  Participants learn and play together while exploring puberty, healthy sexuality, and family communication and connection.  Offered in English, Spanish and Hmong.
	All-day retreats for sons, ages 10-12, and their mothers or female mentors.  Activities are designed to support positive communications about puberty and sexuality and to emphasize the value of building healthy relationships.

Number of Induced Abortions are Down by Almost 8 Percent in MN

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                              CONTACT: Tim Stanley
July 26, 2011                                                                                                            612-821-6192

Number of induced abortions down by almost 8 percent in Minnesota

The Minnesota Department of Health released its annual induced abortion report today, which showed a continuation of the state’s 20-year trend in declining abortion totals. The report showed abortions down almost 8 percent, from 12,388 in 2009 to 11,505 in 2010.

“We see the drop in numbers as a very positive development,” said Sarah Stoesz, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota. “As the state’s leading provider of reproductive health care and education, our focus has always been on preventing unintended pregnancy and helping women and families make choices that help them stay healthy and plan their futures.”

New results support HPV vaccine’s effectiveness

When Australia implemented a population-wide HPV vaccination in 2007, the HPV vaccine was relatively new to the market. Four years later, there are now quantifiable results supporting the vaccine’s effectiveness.  Recent studies show that the vaccine, which targets human papillomavirus (HPV) in women, has dramatically reduced the rate of cervical abnormalities (early signs of cervical cancer) — Victoria, Australia reports a 50 percent decline in girls 17 and younger. The same drastic drop wasn’t evident in women 17 or older, further supporting that the younger women are vaccinated, the better off they are.

Australia was the first country to require girls be vaccinated. As of 2007, all girls entering high school needed to get the shot, and a “catch up” program was designed for older teens women in their 20’s. Dr. Julia M.L. Brotherton, BMed, of the Victorian Cytology Service Registries in East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and colleagues carried out the study across women of five age groups. They analyzed trends in low-grade and high-grade cervical abnormalities before (January 1, 2003, through March 31, 2007) and after (April 1, 2007, through December 31, 2009) the introduction of the vaccination program.

The Power of Parent-Child Connectedness

May is Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, and as part of an ongoing commitment to public health and education, Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota (PPMNS) has released a report on Parent-Child Connectedness (PCC), a key strategy in reducing teen pregnancy and building strong families. The report also has a fact sheet filled with PCC strategies and resources for parents.

The report comes just as Teenwise Minnesota released a new study showing that Minnesota’s teen birth rate has fallen to the lowest point in at least 40 years. While causes of the downward trend are still a subject of debate, studies show that Parent Child Connectedness is a key factor in preventing teen pregnancies and many other negative adolescent outcomes.

PCC is a strong emotional bond between parent and child. It’s known in the public health world as a “super protector,” buffering adolescents from the many challenges and risks they face, including unintended pregnancy.

Studies show that strong PCC protects against 33 negative adolescent outcomes, such as unintended pregnancy; HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs); violence; depression; eating disorders; alcohol, tobacco and drug use; and poor academic achievement.