Today, on Oct. 16, Planned Parenthood turns 100 years strong. For the past century, Planned Parenthood has transformed women’s health and empowered millions of people worldwide to make informed health decisions, forever changing the way they live, love, learn and work.
Hawaii has contributed greatly to our reproductive freedoms and leads the charge when it comes to women’s health care. Most recently, Gov. David Ige signed into law a bill that dramatically expands women’s access to birth control.
Hawaii is now one of two states in the country to require all insurance providers to cover 12 months of birth control at a time, and the only state to require coverage without restriction.
In addition to this groundbreaking legislation, Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands (PPGNHI) launched Planned Parenthood Care, an innovative app allowing women anywhere in Hawaii to securely speak to a provider through their mobile device and receive prescriptions to hormonal contraceptives that are then discretely shipped to their mailing address. Taken together, this app and the new law have given Hawaii women significantly greater access to reproductive health care and put Hawaii squarely at the forefront nationwide.
This is no surprise, as Hawaii has a history of leading the way when it comes to women’s health. In 1966, Hawaii’s Planned Parenthood opened its doors providing education services on birth control and family planning, fertility counseling and research and training. By 1973, the affiliate had added 12 health centers throughout the islands.
In 1970, Hawaii became the first state in the nation to legalize abortion — three years before the historic U.S. Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade.
Fast forward to 2006, when Hawaii’s Legislature expanded and codified in state law women’s right to an abortion. In 2009, they passed legislation requiring that sex education, when taught in public schools, be age-appropriate, medically accurate and comprehensive. In 2015, the Hawaii Board of Education took a step further and voted to require all public schools to offer sex education to students.
Also in 2015, Planned Parenthood of Hawaii merged with the Great Northwest to form PPGNHI and Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii. The new affiliates are among the largest in the federation and have the most geographically diverse region, covering Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho and Washington.
It is clear that Hawaii takes its leadership in women’s health care seriously.
While women’s health care continues to be restricted, and in some cases rolled back, across the country, Hawaii is fortunate to have leaders like U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, Gov. Ige and others who fight for women and protect access to family planning resources.
Hawaii is bucking the trend and setting a confident example of what states can do to actually improve access.
In 2017 and beyond, we will continue our efforts to increase access to health care by exploring opportunities to reduce barriers for those in rural and geographically isolated communities, working with insurance providers to ensure timely access to care and making sure that everyone receives medically accurate information to keep themselves healthy and safe.
Today — and every day — our goal is to make every person who comes through our doors feel welcome, comfortable and cared for while receiving the best possible medical care. And we’re just getting started. We are at the beginning of technological advancements and innovative approaches to delivering care, and Hawaii intends to invest in the future and uphold its duty to our young people to ensure we all have access to the care and education we need and deserve.
Chris Charbonneau is CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands.
