By Kelcie McKenney

Planned Parenthood’s decision to leave Title X leaves the organization without millions of dollars in funding, and with thousands of patients who might not receive care.

In February, Trump’s administration issued a “gag rule” with Title X, a federal program that provided reproductive health services to many of Planned Parenthood’s patients. The rule would essentially force Planned Parenthood to lie to its patients—about pregnancy options, abortion referrals, and facts about procedures.

Planned Parenthood said fuck that.

Well, they said “no way,” we said “fuck.” Then we threw an event to help educate people on how they can support PP and affordable access to healthcare. Even if you didn’t make it out to Plant Parenthood, we wanted everyone to have access to the information shared.

Donate to Your Local Chapter

Planned Parenthood’s Great Plain’s headquarters are located in Overland Park, KS, and support four states: Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. As a midwestern chapter, Planned Parenthood Great Plains needs even more support. If you’d like to make a donation, donate to your local chapter. While funding to Planned Parenthood at the highest level eventually trickles down to all care facilities, it is best to donate directly to your community chapter.

Every. Dollar. Counts. Even if you can only contribute $5 or $10 or $13.27, every single dollar helps. Please consider donating to our fundraiser here.

Utilize Planned Parenthood’s Healthcare Services

Planned Parenthood accepts insurance. If you are insured, get your healthcare and reproductive care from Planned Parenthood. It doesn’t cost your insurance provider less, and that money is distributed to help others receive affordable access. Not only does PP have women’s healthcare services, but they have expansive men’s health and LGBTQ+ services. You can learn more about services they offer here.

Get Out There And Volunteer

Yeah, we’re all busy, but the fight against reproductive rights is never ending! So make time in your busy schedule to get out in your community and help Planned Parenthood. PP is always looking for volunteers: from tabling at events (you get to pass out free condoms!) to making phone calls (you can do that from your couch while wearing pjs!).

Another opportunity is escorting patients into the facility on Saturday mornings. Saturdays are when protesters come out in droves (carrying signs that condemn those trying to access care). Even if a patient is headed to Planned Parenthood for STI testing or a breast cancer screening, those protesters are still there. Escorts help keep patients safe and secure, lessening anxiety and helping those get to the care they need.

If you’d like to volunteer, fill out this form and Planned Parenthood will reach out with more information.

Educate Your Friends and Family

You can’t change people’s minds in a comment section, but you can impact those who are near to you. Talk to your friends, family members, coworkers, neighbors, anyone, about the issues that are important to you. Empathy is the best way to explain why access to healthcare is important, as are personal experiences.

And control your own narrative. Planned Parenthood offers so many additional services beyond abortion, but that doesn’t mean we should excuse someone’s anti-abortion stance. When abortion is legal, abortion is safe. Repeat that: When abortion is legal, abortion is safe. The freedom to choose is the key. Women control their own family planning decisions. Here’s an article that might help: How to Talk to Your Family About Planned Parenthood This Holiday.

Shop Local with Businesses That Support Planned Parenthood

Kansas City has so many artists and makers who are helping raise funding for Planned Parenthood, and chances are your community does, too. Here are a few we’re checking out:

Crumble Co. is often raising money for Planned Parenthood with wax melts or gift boxes. Stay tuned for their next fundraiser, and read about the fundraiser we did with them last year.

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PlantKC and Nasty Tasty Clothing teamed up to make these adorable Plant Daddy crop top tanks with 15% of proceeds donated to Planned Parenthood. You can order them online here.

Troostapalooza, on Saturday, Sept. 21, is a community event that celebrates art, culture, music, food & drink, and more in a family-friendly environment. Planned Parenthood will be tabling at this event, and many local businesses and makers will be present. Learn more about the event here.

Planned Parenthood PinkOut, on Sept. 6 at recordBar, is a concert featuring Katy Guillen & the Drive that raises money, too! Get your tickets here.

Together we can make a difference. Together we can support accessible access to healthcare for all. See you next time, Catcallers. Now get out there and support Planned Parenthood.

Now Here Are All The Photos from Our Latest Event

Photos by Travis Young

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Kelcie McKenney is a writer, editor, and artist who is passionate about feminism. She currently works as Digital Editor at The Pitch , where she writes and edits for Kansas City’s alternative magazine. You can find Kelcie on Instagram with #kcdaddy, where she talks about her three-legged cat Luna, dank memes, and ways to overthrow the patriarchy.