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Every dedicated person who powers Planned Parenthood's work brings their own experiences and talents to this movement.
Our Story Spotlight series gives you a window into how our community is showing up in the wake of the Supreme Court decision that ended our right to abortion.
Today, we are sharing a Q&A with Dr. Meera Shah, a provider who wears many important hats at Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic: chief medical officer, director of gender-affirming care, and director of HIV prevention.
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Thank you, Dr. Shah, for your work and for taking the time to chat with us. First, when did you start working with Planned Parenthood?
2018. I had been working in LGBTQ+ health care at the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center in New York while finishing my master’s in public health, and I knew I wanted to get back into abortion care while continuing to provide care to LGBTQ+ patients. Working at Planned Parenthood allows me to do both.
What's been on your mind since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, eliminating our constitutional right to abortion?
It's more feelings than thoughts — sadness, frustration. I also work at Whole Woman's Health of South Bend, Indiana. I was at the airport, on my way there, when I heard the news. A group of people actually cheered.
When I got to the clinic, we had all these calls from people in Kentucky begging for appointments. Kentucky’s trigger ban had taken effect.
It's a lot to have both of those experiences taking up space in my head. Hearing people cheer over pregnant people losing control over their bodies, followed so closely by all those calls from pregnant people seeking abortion, utterly terrified.
Have you noticed any shifts in your patients — what they think is true, how they act?
When you do this work every day, it can be easy to forget just how hard it is for people to keep up with the constantly changing legal landscape now that Roe has been overturned. I guess I shouldn't have been, but I was surprised at how many patients in New York thought abortion was illegal there, too. We had people ordering medication abortion pills online and then coming to us for follow-up care. Many didn't want to admit they had taken the pills, fearing they might have broken the law, and that they could be prosecuted — in New York!
To be clear, medication abortion is safe, and managing your own abortion can be safe. I really wish it was easier for people to keep track of all this. AbortionFinder.org is a great resource. Having all these different and changing laws across the states is hard to digest and keep straight.
Post-Roe, we're all still wrapping our heads around just how long it's going to take to make sure every person who wants an abortion can get one, no matter their circumstances, no matter where they live. What do you say to people who ask you how they can get involved?
Just start. Don't wait for "the right way" to present itself. If you can donate, donate. If you can volunteer, even just once, do it. If you're comfortable sharing your own abortion story, share it. And if you're already doing a lot, don't worry so much about you, personally, doing one more thing. Focus instead on getting your friends involved.
Getting to the point where everyone who seeks an abortion can get one is going to be a long haul. I know that's hard to accept, but we'll get there faster the more people we have engaged in the work. A few people already lift just about as much as they can bear, lifting just a little bit more is not as helpful as a lot more people helping us lift. So, super volunteers — get your people into the work! |
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Providers like Dr. Shah and supporters like you are the heart and soul of this movement.
Do you have a Planned Parenthood story of your own to share? Whether you've been a patient, activist, volunteer, or all of the above — your story matters and can help inspire others. Click here to tell your story.
Thank you for everything you do to defend sexual and reproductive health and rights.
— Planned Parenthood Federation of America
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