Planned Parenthood detail volunteer opportunities for the region and how you can get involved

Photo courtesy of Planned Parenthood Volunteers

After the reversal of Roe v. Wade in the summer of 2022, reproductive care has become excessively difficult for plenty of Americans. Many red states immediately jumped to restrict and ban abortion altogether, which left those who continued to provide care highly sought after. Surrounded by hostile states, Kansas has become a significant destination for those seeking care.

Pro-life protestors continue to harass people entering and leaving clinics, making an already nerve-wracking moment even scarier. Due to the major uptick in traffic coming to the Wichita, Kansas City, Kansas, and Overland Park locations, Planned Parenthood Great Plains is currently hosting volunteer training events. On July 18 and 19, they will host virtual training sessions for those hoping to become patient allies, whose job is to support patients through the brigade of picket signs. 

Patient allies escort patients from their cars to the front door of the clinic, braving the harsh chants coming from protestors. Suited with their privacy umbrellas, sometimes they blare music or just engage in friendly conversation to soothe the discomfort many face just trying to access care.

“Protestors show up most days of the week—rain or shine—and that can be very intimidating for patients,” says patient ally volunteer Miller. “So, we support them to the door. I try to make our patients feel heard seen and safe.” 

Miller—who has volunteered for about two years now—began shortly after Roe’s reversal. “Patients tell me all the time that, without an ally escorting them to the door, they would have been too scared of the protesters to get out of the car,” Miller says.

Quintana, another patient ally, says,  “I think that when you see a need, it is important to help meet that need, whatever that need may be for our fellow man.”

Quintana—who began volunteering about six months ago—saw how crucial reproductive care is through her work in the healthcare field. “I just thought it was such an impactful and easy thing to do. To have the privilege to be able to do that was something I felt I should act on.” 

Quintana’s lifelong friend opened up to her about how much she wished someone would have been there to help her walk into the clinic when she had to face the protestors. “It was the first time that somebody that I consider a sister had ever told me about their procedure,” Quintana says. “So, I gear up and get ready, because I don’t want somebody to have the experience that she had.”

Small but impactful gestures provided by allies give patients a safe, supportive space, amidst the name-calling and shouts from the street. 

Kansas now serves the entire nation instead of a state, and people needing abortions sometimes have to travel across multiple states. Miller says that one patient traveled 12 hours just to access essential healthcare.

“Those people are often very fearful, and they leave their hostile state, sometimes in the cover of night, driving overnight to get to our facility. They are often very relieved to be in a safe place,” Miller says.

Some people even have to travel by plane to access abortion. “I’m still struck by how many people are coming in Ubers, and they have just come from the airport, or they don’t even have a place to put their luggage. They show up with what they have,” Quintana says.

Volunteer work offers a chance to connect with others while working toward a common goal. The Planned Parenthood volunteers and employees all share overwhelming positive experiences from the support and comradery surrounding the programs.

“My coworkers are fantastic, and it plunged me into the heart of what our whole nation is facing, regarding reproductive rights, freedom, and the fight for access to bodily autonomy,” Patient Advocacy and Volunteer Manager Mikaela Doherty says.

Having grown up in Portland, Oregon, Doherty realized how much work needs to be done in the Heartland. The volunteering branch of Planned Parenthood Great Plains continues to grow to match the demand. 

“I’m just really excited, continuing forward, that we’ll have even more to continue to provide these really engaged, fired-up people who want to come out and support us. I feel like we’re just beginning,” Doherty says.

If the hands-on patient ally gig doesn’t pique someone’s interest, there are many ways to get involved with Planned Parenthood. She also hints at the popular abortion care basket-making event returning soon. “We had about 70 people show up and, in just a little over an hour, they had made over a thousand abortion care baskets,” she says. 

The Planned Parenthood Great Plains website highlights all the various ways people can help keep reproductive health accessible to the region. These positions include administrative work, advocacy work, tabling, and kit-making. Signing up for and further information on events and volunteering can be found at plannedparenthood.org, under the “Get Involved” tab. Clicking the word “volunteer” will redirect you to the volunteer sign-up page. 

Roe v. Wade’s historic overturning left millions feeling hopeless and unsure of what they can do to help those who need access to reproductive rights. Many turned to volunteering, and the demand for volunteers remained high two years after the SCOTUS decision. If anyone feels drawn to the work, the current volunteers urge them to take the leap and join.

“I think every single time I leave feeling like I was meant to be there,” Quintana says. “There’s always at least one patient interaction that I have that it’s like, if I wasn’t there today, I would have been so sad for this person because they needed somebody for that walk-in.”