Plan parent-child relationships will not fall back in Florida

In any case, the last three years have been the most difficult in Florida’s reproductive rights history. One thing remains constant amidst the chaos and cruelty. It is Planned Parenthood’s unwavering commitment to providing compassionate and accessible care.

From abortion bans to limiting gender-maintaining care for adults and minors, Tallahassee politicians have been relentless in their attacks on our physical autonomy. When the 15-week abortion ban was implemented in 2022, it was more than just a bad policy. It was a cruel and calculated attempt to strip people of their medical freedom and force women to become pregnant against their will and, in some cases, to the medical expertise of the doctor. In May 2024, lawmakers doubled, implementing the current six-week abortion ban, cutting off many women from care before they realized they were pregnant.

They then refused to amend the ambiguous and dangerous language of the law despite hopeless pleas from both doctors and patients, and refused to use taxpayer dollars to actively sabotage citizen-led efforts to restore the basic reproductive rights of Floridians in the Fourth Amendment in November.

Through it, we have not only refused to retreat in the Plannard parent-child relationship in Southwest and Central Florida. We have stepped up our efforts to meet the needs of Floridians who rely on us.

Since the nearly six-week abortion ban was enacted, six of the nine health centers have continued to provide abortion care. Meanwhile, we have seen a flood of patients forced to travel for care. However, thanks to our dedicated staff and providers, these patients are filled with understanding and support, not closed doors.

Over the past 12 months, our caring, trauma-trained navigators have worked tirelessly to support more than 1,700 Florida patients who were pregnant to find legal out-of-state abortion options beyond six weeks of pregnancy.

These patients often need help in transport, childcare, meals and raising funds for their first trip from Florida. This has become more challenging as abortion restrictions increase across the country, but we remain immobilized and adapted to overcome any obstacle.

For example, when North Carolina became one of the few states that can be accessed in our area for up to 12 weeks, a mandatory 72-hour delay forced Florida patients to stay away from their workplace and family for up to four days. So we took steps to qualify for a Florida-based North Carolina provider, allowing patients to start counseling here and spend more time at home with their families before traveling out of state. This was a small solution in the face of bigger problems, but it saves patients time and money, and in some cases, they have access to care before it’s too late.

Others close the doors and cut back on services, but we continue to expand. Over the past six months, they have grown to provide prenatal and infertility care, vasectomy, sedation for IUD placement, and free pregnancy tests and emergency contraception. We worked diligently to resume gender-affirming care services despite the dangerous and anti-scientific obstacles placed by the government. We reduced the waiting time for bookings to just 3-5 days, reducing the cost of birth control pills to $9. We offer long-acting contraceptives at prices 30% below the market rate. We will continue to welcome many private providers as they are leaving Medicaid patients.

Our Congress chooses to ignore 57% of Floridians who voted in favor of reproductive freedom, but we step up. They fill the gap, meet at the moment and refuse to let the patient fall into a crack.

I have dedicated 26 years of my life to planning parents because I believe that health care is a human right. I believe in the power of people to determine my future. And I believe that healthcare will fight for a world that is not determined by politics.

As my dear friend Cecil Richards said shortly before he passed away this year, “It’s not difficult to imagine a future generation one day. The only acceptable answer is, “It’s all we can do.”

We are still here at Planned Parenthood in Southwest and Central Florida. We’re still fighting. It also provides care to nearly 45,000 patients in 22 counties through nine brick-and-mortar stores and a virtual telehealth platform.

No matter what the future brings, our planned parent-child relationships will retain our position, dig in, move forward, and continue doing everything we can to fight this together. Our patients expect it.

Barbara A. Zdravecky is a community activist who served as a planned parent-child relationship between CEOs in the Southwest and Central Florida for 24 years and is currently interim CEO of the organization. As a nurse, Barbara helped launch Key West Care’s first hospice program for those affected by HIV/AIDS. This article was first published in the Sarasota Herald Tribune.