Real talk: It’s not easy keeping rural clinics open, but it’s an essential part of our mission because we believe ALL Mainers need access to excellent, evidence-based sexual and reproductive health care, no matter where they live or what they earn. Last year, we faced an unexpected funding gap after the unethical, unlawful Domestic Gag … Continue reading 18 Clinics, 18 Days: Showing Up for Our Communities

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At a time when abortion care remains out of reach for too many people, Maine Family Planning remains dedicated to expanding access in our communities. A new report from Ibis Reproductive Health finds great support for MFP’s telehealth medication abortion services among patients and providers alike. The analysis, based on in-depth interviews with patients and … Continue reading “No Judgment, Just Care”: What It’s Like to Get an Abortion at MFP

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As June 2020 fades in the rearview mirror, we at Maine Family Planning are reflecting on the wins and losses of this unusual Pride Month, as well as the ongoing privilege of providing gender-affirming care in communities throughout our large and rural state, day-in and day-out. In the midst of a pandemic and our societal … Continue reading Opening Doors to Awareness and High-Quality Care

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Maine Family Planning approaches policy, organizing and advocacy efforts with an aim to advance the primary principles of the Reproductive Justice framework. Namely, we want to ensure all people have the power and resources to: experience bodily autonomy; avoid having children; have children, and raise families in environments of dignity, safety and well-being. As part … Continue reading Digital Equity is a Reproductive Justice Issue: MFP Endorses Yes on 1 Campaign

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Maine Family Planning’s Education Department enjoyed spending the month of May sharing helpful resources for educators, parents, and youth as part of #SexEdForAll Month. See our past posts here and here, or click here for our full list of resources for teaching sex ed in the age of Covid-19. Of course, sexuality education isn’t all … Continue reading Sexual Health Isn’t Just About Sex

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The Covid-19 pandemic has undoubtedly made delivery of comprehensive, medically-accurate sexuality education more challenging. Some classroom or community-based educators feel uncertain about how to teach the subject via distance learning, since they rely so much on body language, facial expressions, and physical cues to gauge how students are responding to the material, which is sensitive … Continue reading The Coronavirus is Putting Parents in the Sex Ed Hotseat

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Hormonal birth control like the Pill (which has been around for 60 years this month, wow!) is pretty awesome at preventing unplanned pregnancy and has other positive side effects, too. Still, there are lots of reasons you may stop using oral contraception or another hormonal method. Sometimes, it’s because you’re ready and able to start … Continue reading Talk to Us Before Stopping Birth Control

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This May, we’re joining groups all around the country to celebrate — and demand! — Sex Ed for All. Launched last year, Sex Ed for All Month is a re-imagining of Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month focused on empowering young people with the education and health care they need to build the relationships, families, and futures … Continue reading Happy #SexEdForAllMonth

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We know your sexual and reproductive health needs don’t go away because of a pandemic – and that’s okay. With rates of some Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) on the rise both nationally and in Maine, it’s important to get tested if you’re having symptoms or think you’ve been exposed. With everything else that’s going on, the last thing … Continue reading Worried about STIs? Get Tested At Home

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During this time of social and economic uncertainty, it’s more important than ever to have the information and supplies you need to avoid unplanned pregnancy. That’s why Maine Family Planning is ramping up its telehealth operations in response to Covid-19, so you can access expert care, including many forms of contraception, without having to visit … Continue reading Birth Control, Virtually

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First things first: Maine Family Planning continues to provide medication abortions and aspiration abortions for all Mainers amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Call 207-922-3222 to find out how we can help you access safe and timely abortion care. MFP is a pioneer when it comes to using telehealth technology to meet people’s sexual and reproductive health … Continue reading What If I Need an Abortion During Covid-19?

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We at Maine Family Planning want to keep you updated on the status of advocacy efforts that YOU have supported related to family planning. Last Tuesday, the Maine State Legislature adjourned sine die, which means they do not know when they will return. At the time of adjournment, our family planning funding bill—LD 1613, which … Continue reading An Update from Augusta: What Happens Now?

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Three weeks ago we launched our Pledge-A-Patient campaign, asking our supporters to make a donation showing their support for MFP patients as they endure a 40-day anti-abortion harassment campaign. Well, a lot can change in three weeks. We now collectively face the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, and life as we know it has been upended in … Continue reading Pledge-A-Patient Week 4: Stigma Doesn’t #StayHome

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We know that even during a health emergency, people still need birth control, abortion care, and other sexual and reproductive health services. And that it may be more difficult to access care during times like these. While we all figure out how to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19, the new coronavirus, Maine Family Planning is … Continue reading How Do I Get Birth Control During a Pandemic?

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The anti-abortion protesters outside our clinic in Augusta spread lies and misinformation about abortion care, often citing debunked research to raise confusion among patients seeking safe and legal health care. Well, we’ve got (more than) a few studies of our own—and, unlike those used by the other side, this research is credible. Today, as MFP … Continue reading Fighting Abortion Stigma With Facts

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In case you haven’t heard us brag about it before, Maine Family Planning is an independent (indie) abortion care provider and we are proud of it! On this Abortion Provider Appreciation Day we wanted to share some reflections from this year’s annual conference hosted by Abortion Care Network (ACN), the only national member-based organization for … Continue reading Celebrating Indie Abortion Providers by Sharing Power, Purpose and Vision in 2020

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This is it, folks. Today, March 4, the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments in June Medical Services v. Russo, the case that jeopardizes the rights enshrined by the Court’s 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade. This is the first major abortion rights case before the Supreme Court since Justice Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed to … Continue reading #MyRightMyDecision: Abortion Rights at SCOTUS Today

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For 40 days, from February 26 to April 5, patients seeking all types of care at our flagship health center in Augusta will be subjected to judgment and misinformation hurled at them by anti-abortion zealots who have co-opted the Christian observance of Lent in an attempt to intimidate and shame. When our patients come to … Continue reading 40 Days to Say No to Shame: Pledge-A-Patient

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Today at the State House, family planning patients, providers, and advocates will gather in support of LD 1613, Speaker Sara Gideon’s bill to fund the statewide family planning network after the loss of federal Title X funds. This bill would ensure continued access to affordable birth control, STI testing and treatment, cancer screenings, and other … Continue reading Family Planning Works 4 ME

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On the 47th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 US Supreme Court decision that established the constitutional right to safe and legal abortion, Maine Family Planning is affirming recent victories and girding for the battle ahead. With the passage of LD 820, Maine law now requires public and private health insurance that covers prenatal … Continue reading Roe Turns 47: More at Risk Than Ever Before

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Pop quiz: Carmen is 14 years old, lives in Maine, and wants to go on birth control, but doesn’t want to ask their parents. Can Carmen get a birth control method without involving their parents? Answer: Yes! Maine law empowers young people to take control of their sexual and reproductive health. Minors in Maine are … Continue reading Young Mainers: Know Your Rights!

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Maine Family Planning to offer free HIV testing at 18 locations statewide, Dec. 2-6 Did you know?38,739 people received an HIV diagnosis in the U.S. in 2017. This year’s World AIDS Day theme is “Ending the HIV/AIDS Epidemic: Community by Community.” As the leading sexual and reproductive health care provider in many Maine communities, Maine … Continue reading What’s Your Status?

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On November 13, Maine Family Planning joins with our allies in reproductive health and justice to say: Thanks, Birth Control. Thanks for enabling us to build the families we envision, on the timelines that make sense for us. Thanks for helping us regulate our periods, treat certain medical conditions, and control acne. Thanks for providing … Continue reading #ThxBirthControl Today & Every Day!

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Many patients know to call us at Maine Family Planning when something’s up — you have an uncomfortable symptom, you missed your period, you had unprotected sex. (Our number is 207-922-3222 and we often can offer same-day appointments.) But did you know you can call us when everything’s going fine — and we can help … Continue reading What’s a Wellness Visit?

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Are you one of those people who will do anything to avoid making a phone call? We feel you. That’s why Maine Family Planning offers our free, convenient Let’s Chat service, available from 9 am – 6 pm, Monday-Thursday, and 8 am – 4 pm on Fridays. Over 100 people a month utilize this convenient … Continue reading Hate the Phone? Let’s Chat!

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The latest numbers from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services show that for gonorrhea, syphilis, and chlamydia, we are on par to meet or even surpass last year’s rates — and that’s not a good thing. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs or STDs) climbed dramatically in 2018, a worrisome trend that doesn’t seem to … Continue reading STIs on the Rise — Time to Get Tested

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