Planned Parenthood

"Where are you going, Emerald?"
"Oh, I have a Planned Parenthood meeting."
"Uh, what?"

I have had this vaguely awkward conversation every couple weeks since school started. Each time, I explain (as they nervously glance at my lower stomach) that no, I didn't get a bit too happy on PBR last weekend and jump into bed with some random dreadlocked rock climber. I volunteer with the University of Montana's Planned Parenthood Leaders & Advocates.

Many immediately associate Planned Parenthood with killing, poor, sweet, innocent unborn fetuses (insert vague sarcasm here). However, the majority (over 90%) of Planned Parenthood's services are not abortion related. PP offers both men and women's health and STI screenings, affordable birth control, pregnancy screenings, sex education, and helps fight for pro-women legislation at both the state and federal level. 

But what does any of this have to do with environmentalism? World population is skyrocketing, jumping from 1.6 billion at the beginning of the 20th century to close to 6.1 billion in the year 2000. The earth is running out of the land and resources to support us, especially at the developed world's current consumption rates. To me, population growth is one of those overarching mega-problems that has many solutions yet also has consequences that could render all other environmental work ineffective. In order to create a sustainable human populations on earth, we have to curb population growth. Women's education and empowerment, creating available and safe birth control, and assuring a human's right to their own body (be it male or female) are all incredibly important.

Handing out condoms in the University of Montana commons is a small step. However, I figure it is a good first step to becoming aquainted with an issue that I could possibly turn into a career. And if you can't get college students in Montana to practice safe sex, is it really fair to expect the rest of the world to do so?

[Get more info on Montana Planned Parenthood here]