Catherine Nutter was a young, recently married, college graduate without health insurance looking for someone to help with her unplanned pregnancy when she turned to Planned Parenthood for help.
I pictured the Planned Parenthood building in my mind that I had driven by every day for the past three years on my way to Western Michigan University—the one situated just on the campus's border with the giant orange three-foot lettering on its roof. Planned Parenthood, I thought. They help you plan for your up-coming parenthood. I knew that they would be the perfect resource to help me prepare for my prenatal care and delivery.
The next day I woke up almost feeling excited. I had practiced dozens of times what I was going to say to the worker at the clinic when she answered the phone. I dialed the number and light-heartedly spoke my rehearsed lines: "Hi. I just found out I'm pregnant. I'm married and have my degree, but I haven't gotten a job yet. I'm keeping the baby. I just need to know who to call for help."
A voice on the other end of the phone said plainly, "We don't do that here."
I was confused by this reply. "What don't you do there? I'm pregnant and I need to know who I should call."
The voice said again, "We don't really do that here. We don't give out phone numbers."
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