"Always Assume Support"

Kate Hancock

When our internship comes to an end and my family and friends ask what I have learned interning with Planned Parenthood PAC, I will say (among many other observations and skills) to “always assume support”. This seems obvious, right?! Jess used this phrase as advice to all the new volunteers at our volunteer orientation at the end of January. It stood out to me then and continues to do so today. These words are important to keep in mind, especially while canvassing or phone banking. However, it wasn’t until I was out on the turf or phone banking did I truly learn the value of that phrase.
“To always assume support” is more than just an attitude, it’s more than just assuming, it’s believing that who we stand with and that our message is important to the folks we canvas and call on a weekly basis. If believing in the messages we spread does not quite give you the confidence to “walk the walk” then look to the numbers. Over two thirds of Pennsylvania supports Planned Parenthood! That’s a “most likely” in my book and I’d like to assume that a large portion of the other one third is simply not properly educated on Planned Parenthood’s services and mission, which addresses EVERY individual, regardless of “income, marital status, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, or residence” . It’s almost ironic that it is so important to assume support when ALL of the bills we are working to pass, one would assume they are already laws.
As PAC Interns, we make hundreds of calls a week, sometimes even a day. I hope in the midst of it all, supportive people or not, that we all try to keep in mind how important it is to find it within us every call to portray our passion for Planned Parenthood and the importance of the message we are spreading. While talking on the phone, the potential supporter cannot see our faces or read our body language but they can detect if something is important to us.

First Month on the Job

By: Sangeeta Sarkar

When I first heard about the internship offerings at Planned Parenthood, it seemed like a perfect fit for me. As a bio-engineering student at Penn, I'm interested in working in global public health, specializing in women's health. I've always been interested in all kinds of women's issues, from human trafficking to street harassment to reproductive justice. I've always been passionate and sometimes angry about these issues, but I had no way to channel this energy to bring about tangible change in the world around me. I could always talk about these issues with my friends and share my opinions on social media, and bringing awareness is a definitely huge step towards creating change. I still wanted to do more, though. This internship gave me just that-- an opportunity to take action about the issues I care most about, and to create real change in my community.

I've been a Campaign Organizer intern with Planned Parenthood PA PAC for almost a month now. In that month, I've done all kinds of things, from planning and carrying out phone banks, canvasses, and visibilities, to tabling at events to more mundane tasks like data entry. I've come to realize that every task creates its own change, no matter how small. Phone banks inform people about crucial issues, and canvasses and visibilities are instrumental in reaching out to and forming connections with our supporters. Even entering supporter cards into the VAN, tedious as it can be, helps to build the grassroots support system that we rely on.

My favorite part of this internship so far has been tabling at events. I've been to two so far-- the Clark Park Music and Arts Festival on Baltimore Street and the AIDS Education and Awareness Cookout in Fairmount Park. These events have been filled with good music, good food, and amazing people excited about good causes. I've met activists and supporters from every possible walk of life, and the energy they have for their work is so inspiring. I really enjoy talking to our supporters at these events-- it's truly energizing to know that we have so much support from our community. I'm really excited to see what else is in store for me this summer!

Religious Freedom v Personal Freedom

Emily Hibshman

The recent ruling of Burwell v. Hobby Lobby split my newsfeed in half. One one hand, I had statutes like the following:

"Breaking News Update: just in case you were worried that those pesky feminists were getting too rowdy, don't you worry. Five men have just decided that corporate religious ideologies overrule women's health and access to birth control. Everything's okay again. You're safe."

But then I also had this:

"You go hobby lobby! Trust God and follow his word and your business will succeed!"

The second worst part of that status is that it's from my cousin's wife.

The worst part is that she believes the ideologies of corporations override the health needs of individual women.

I think it's important to really unpack the issues surrounding this ruling. I personally believe in religious freedom along with accessibility to health care. Under no means do I, or anyone who was unhappy with this ruling, want to force anyone to do anything against their beliefs. However, Hobby Lobby believes they can force their beliefs on their employees.

Most people wouldn't tolerate an individual forcing their beliefs onto another, so why do we think it's okay for a corporation to do the same? Well, unless you believe that corporations are people.

As Thomas Jefferson believed, religion is a matter which lies solely between man & his god. This means that religion can and should be practiced freely in private and should not enter the public sphere. Once someone owns a business, once they enter our so-called free market, they are no longer practicing in private. By wanting special exemptions from health care under the guise of religious freedom, they are officially forcing their beliefs onto other peoples and no longer practicing it in private. This is not what the first amendment stands for.

There's also a great hypocrisy in the ruling. According to the Huffington Post, Hobby Lobby will continue to cover male employee's health by providing coverage for Viagra and vasectomies. This kind bias is a clear case of misogyny. If they only wanted to provide services that encourage procreation, why cover vasectomies?

This is a ruling, coupled with buffer zone ruling, really lets us know where the Supreme Court stands when it comes to women.

First Week on the Job

By Sydney Epstein

Within my first week at Planned Parenthood, I was quickly able to get involved in all of the commotion.  After going through the action camp PowerPoint’s, I jumped right into the mix.  My fellow interns and I searched for possible events to table at.  We searched for art festivals, summer festivals, and farmer’s markets all over the PA area.  We made calls and emails to many, and quickly began to set up dates.

Once my VAN account began to work, I learned how to upload my members from the ObamaCare cards into the system.  It was interesting to see how many people said that they wanted to get involved, or receive more information about the c4 advocacy and organizations.  Additionally, there are so many cards that need to be uploaded into the system; this is a time-consuming and repetitive task.  However, the feeling after successfully uploading a stack is well worth it.

Most exciting, this week I participated in my first phone bank.  We were calling Republicans in the PA area and asking them to call Governor Corbett and voice their opinion about the current legislation sneakily taking place.  While on the phone, we explained the new House Bill 1762 that was currently in the works.  We explained that this bill would force doctors to obtain medically unnecessary admitting privileges from local hospitals, and as a result shut down many abortion providers state wide.  We also let them know that House Bill 1762 was opposed by major medical groups and was only supported by politicians.  I received a variety of responses, ranging from positive to negative.  While this was an amazing, eye-opening experience, it was difficult to hear and respond appropriately to the negative feedback.

First Day on the Job

By Candace Braude

On the morning of my first day of work, in all honesty, I was a little nervous. I had missed the Action Camp training most other interns had attended and had to start a week late, and was anxious and ready to meet fellow interns along with all others with whom I would be working. However, as soon as I entered the gates of the Planned Parenthood offices, my anxiety turned into excitement. I was here to work for one of the most renowned and publicly vocal organizations of our generation. Me. An 18 year old who can barely keep her closet organized. 

The first day at the office was dedicated to getting caught up. Within six hours, I, along with another intern, Sydney, had learned the in's and out's of our upcoming summer. Though my brain was absolutely fried, the anticipation for our work only grew. It's an incredible thing to realize that regardless of who you are, if you choose to, you can choose to take part in making a change to this world. And here we were, on our first steps to doing so. 

Truly, the highlight of the day was getting my own desk. That's just being real.

I'm so enthusiastic about our upcoming summer and can't wait to get down to business!

Kicking off the Summer Internship!

We have 10 new Campaign Organizer Interns in Pennsylvania this summer who will be writing about their experiences each week! Check back here to read about their blog from the field. 

Summer 2014 Action Camp, interns & staff pictured with Representative Briggs and Representative Daley

Reflecting on the Time Spent Campaigning This Summer!

It’s been a little over a month since Comfort and I started working with Rob Teplitz’s campaign for State Senate in District 15. Having never worked for a political campaign before, I was unsure of what to expect and a little nervous. Rob is a fantastic candidate and I really wanted to do well. Our campaign managers seemed intimidating at first, but we soon learned that they were easygoing and very excited to have Comfort’s and my assistance with the mountain of research they had before them. At the campaign office we help Victor and Andrea scrutinize lists of names to create a database of potential donors to Rob’s campaign. It’s not the most exhilarating work, but it’s important and it’s gratifying to know that we are helping to build a foundation for this campaign so that it can really take off at the end of the summer. Compiling lists of donors, stuffing and sending out mailers, and helping to prepare for fundraisers and events takes up most of our time here at the office! It can be hectic at times (especially when we lose our Internet connection!), but we always manage to get a great deal of work done to help ease the burden on Victor and Andrea.

Last week we took a break from campaign work and drove to Pittsburgh with Caitlin for a Planned Parenthood visibility event outside of a Mitt Romney fundraiser. We had some issues securing a rental car at the last minute, but the woman at the rental agency really wanted to make sure we got on the road and went out of her way to help us. She must have been a Planned Parenthood supporter since we were all dressed up in our bright pink Women are Watching tee-shirts and sunglasses, with signs to match. In Pittsburgh we got to reunite with our Western PA friends Olivia, Phil, and Rebecca –it was great to see them and catch up on how their summer was going! We walked over to the Romney fundraiser which was held at the Duquesne Club and met another group already protesting the event. They were happy to have us join them and their megaphone helped us shout our women are watching chant throughout the city. The turnout was great, a lot of Planned Parenthood volunteers showed up and we flooded the streets with a sea of pink shirts and signs. One of our volunteers was only 3 years old! It was really exciting to have so many people walk or drive by and voice their support for our cause.

I’m so thrilled to be working with Planned Parenthood this summer. Even though it means working seven days a week and traveling back and forth from Baltimore to Harrisburg, I wouldn’t want to spend my time doing anything else. The decisions that are made this election year are especially significant for women and for anyone who supports Planned Parenthood. Knowing that I am getting involved and trying to make a difference rather than just watching from the sidelines is truly rewarding. My friends are jealous of all the amazing things I’ve gotten to do this summer and are now looking into ways that they can help out themselves. I really want to thank Planned Parenthood for offering me this incredible opportunity to get involved during such a critical time in politics. Thanks especially to Lindsey, Victor, Andrea, Caitlin, and Comfort for all their help this summer. I’m excited to keep moving forward with Rob’s campaign and I can’t wait to see the rest of the interns again in August!

-Mandee, Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates in Harrisburg