Family Planning Association
of Maine
A Maine Tradition
Over thirty-five years ago, the Family Planning Association of Maine (FPA) was founded by a group of individuals dedicated to the proposition that every
Maine woman should have equal access to high-quality reproductive health
services. Through
their tireless efforts, sometimes against great odds, the FPA's founders created a force for statewide
family planning.
Two Mainers who played a central role in the FPA's creation, David and Sherry Huber, went on to advocate for reproductive freedom as
members of the Maine Legislature. Myrna Daigle opened the first family
planning clinic in Aroostook County and Mabel Sine Wadsworth started the
first family planning clinic in Maine to offer contraceptives.
A Commitment to Clinical Family Planning Services
The Family Planning Association of Maine provides funding, technical
support and quality assurance to 30 clinics statewide, serving over 30,000
women and teens annually. The FPA itself operates clinics in Augusta, Belfast,
Damariscotta and Rockland, which provide various health care services
including: oral and injectable contraceptives, emergency contraceptives,
screening, diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections,
and breast and cervical cancer screening.
Our statewide headquarters are in Augusta and our Portland office houses
Media Relations, Grassroots, and Education.
A Commitment to Comprehensive Family Life Education
The Family Planning Association of Maine operates the statewide Family
Life Education (FLE) Services program, which includes a network of Family
Life Educators working throughout the state with school districts. FLE
Services support parents, communities and schools as they develop and
implement a K-12 family life education curriculum. The FPA promotes a curriculum
development process that is research-based, age-appropriate and designed
to represent the various views of the community.
Family life education prepares students for their evolving sexuality
by educating them of the risks of STI/HIV transmission and unintended
pregnancy and impressing upon them the value and importance of abstinence.
In addition, the family life education curriculum includes units on anatomy and physiology of the reproductive system, as well as negotiation,
communication, conflict resolution and stress management skills all aimed at preparing Maine's young people for healthy relationships.
A Commitment to Reproductive Freedom
In 1997, the Family Planning Association of Maine addressed an unmet
need by designing and developing an abortion service for Central Maine
women. Before its creation, nine out of ten women living in the eight-county
area, Androscoggin, Oxford, Franklin, Somerset, Kennebec, Waldo, Lincoln
and Knox, seeking abortion care had to travel up to three hours to secure the service, either
in Portland or Bangor. In order to ensure that abortions will always be available
in Maine, the FPA collaborates with the Maine/Dartmouth Family Practice Residency Program to offer the only training program in Maine for physicians interested
in learning the procedure.
A Commitment to Maintaining Reproductive Freedom
The FPA maintains a full-time public affairs department responsible for
working with pro-family planning and pro-choice organizations committed to advancing the cause of reproductive freedom in Maine. The Association
played a leading role in defeating the 1999 Abortion Ban Referendum
as a member of the NO on 1 Coalition and in passing legislation in 1995
that codified the tenets of Roe v. Wade into state law. FPA works on a
host of progressive family planning policies that translate into concrete
benefits for Maine women and teens.
|
