Planned Parenthood debate is personal for young woman

As the debate over Planned Parenthood continues in Washington, Chloe Heitnz, a 22-year-old recent college graduate, took to YouTube to explain how Planned Parenthood helped her at one of the darkest moments of her life. On Thursday, she shared her story with Washington Unplugged.

In the video Heintz explains how she was raped by a boyfriend when she was 17. As she explained to CBSNews.com's Lauren Seifert during the interview, "It was a pretty violent situation... And afterward it took a long time for me to develop a coherent way of thinking about that experience."

Heintz did not get pregnant as a result of the assault, but she was given a pregnancy test and tested for STDs at Planned Parenthood.

It took three years for Heintz to understand that she was a victim of rape, but once she became aware of the magnitude of her ordeal she decided to reach out to other women at her college.

"I started feeling a sense of responsibility to talk to women who hadn't quite gotten to the point that I had," she said, "Since then I've just been more vocal on a personal level and the Internet is really easy to open up about your feelings there so I talked about it."

Heintz explained what she would say to lawmakers who are against giving federal funding to Planned Parenthood: "I think that in this country we have a significant responsibility to take note of the poor and the disadvantaged. I find that women go to Planned Parenthood for their primary health care rather than for crisis situations like abortion, or rape like I did. I would implore lawmakers to look at the human side of things and to have a sense of dignity and responsibility for the people that they represent."

Less than a month out of college Heintz hopes to continue her work as an advocate for women's rights.

"I am searching, pretty tirelessly, for a position as a rape and sexual assault advocate right now... I think that working for women's rights and staying in that field is what I want for my immediate future," she said.

Watch the interview with Chloe Henitz above.

[olebasiclady]

Ah, does anyone have a problem with this young woman's statements besides me?

"It was a violent situation" then the article stated it took her three years to realize she had been raped.

At seventeen, she should have realized immediately that she had been raped. What part of her saying "NO" didn't she understand?

Did association with "Planned Parenthood" brainwash her into thinking THREE YEARS LATER that she had been raped?

Come on folks, this story is hogwash. A rape victim can go to any emergency room and get care. Call 911 for a ride there!

Why did she even go to Planned Parenthood? She wasn't pregnant, according to the article. Planned Parenthood should NOT be a first--responder to a rape case.

[oldbasichatefulness]

Did you listen to the story and read the article, or did you decide it was hogwash before you typed your response? I'm guessing the latter. So let me fill you in:

Heintz went to Planned Parenthood for pregnancy and STD/STI testing. But I wouldn't expect you to get that detail from the third paragraph of the story, which states: "Heintz did not get pregnant as a result of the assault, but she was given a pregnancy test and tested for STDs at Planned Parenthood."

It took Heintz three years to realize that she had been raped because she, like you and me, was raised in a society which would rather we blame the woman in a rape case ("she wanted it," or "she shouldn't have had so much to drink," or "what did she expect, wearing that article of clothing?"), deny the victim's claim, as you are here, or prefer a definition of rape outside the logical, convenient, functional, sensible black and white of "yes OR no"--the only gray area that conservatives are apparently willing to allow, interestingly enough. It's a society in which our women are unsurprisingly taught not to trust or value themselves enough to necessarily know when they've been violated.

Heintz has come to understand and articulate with great intellect, compassion, bravery and patience, her own story and the set of contentious and divisive issues surrounding it. This is a moment when our society can evolve into a more egalitarian, fair and loving one, but only if we drop our preconceptions and take a second to listen and try to understand others' lives as they have experienced them. Thank you, Chloe, for bravely sharing your story.

[prof_robinson]

Ooooo those smug, reckless, republicans who don't want the government involved in the termination of human life. Those dastardly republicans!

No one is trying to get rid of Planned Parenthood; all they're saying is that as along as their services are so heavily oriented around abortion, maybe the federal government shouldn't be giving them money. Why do you so desperately need to have other people who morally object to abortion pay for yours?

Planned Parenthood - the only corporation with billion dollar profits, that is defended and subsidized by the Left. The real question is, is it because of the baby-killing agenda that they receive so much support, or the minority baby killing agenda? They certainly don't need the money.

If Planned Parenthood wants to continue to receive federal funding, they should stop providing abortions. If they want to continue to provide abortions, then they should solicit private donations from all you caring Progressives who advocate such things. It's just as simple as that. And don't give me crap about the Hyde ammendment... it all goes into the same account and you know it.

How anyone can defend a group that has such morally reprehensible origins, and a current policy of fetal genocide, is beyond me. And bringing out the worst-case hand-wringing rape of a 17 year old to defend these policies simply doesn't work anymore. You use her terrible experience as a political prop. It's really just a red herring, though... 85% of the public is okay with abortion in the case of rape and incest. And following their cues, they would create a system where Chloe would be able to get her abortion - and charges would be files against her rapist. But the current system favors anonymity over accountability, and allows these attackers to go free and rape again.

[treefinger]

"And bringing out the worst-case hand-wringing rape of a 17 year old to defend these policies simply doesn't work anymore. You use her terrible experience as a political prop."

This woman first posted her video on feministing.com. She is fully conscious of how she feels about her rape politically and it was her who made the choice to mention the Planned Parenthood bill in her video. Nobody is "using" this girl's experience for political means, we are are sharing how she herself perceives how it should be interpreted.

Abortion in the case of rape and incest is not enough. A minute percentage of rape accusations end in conviction. Thousands of women who survived rape would be made to carry their baby to term because the rapist was found not guilty. More would die having dangerous back-alley illegal abortions. And that's not even getting into the fact that you have no problem with making any woman who just wants to have sex without getting pregnant carry a baby to term if her contraception happens to fail. I know if I somehow got pregnant and couldn't get an abortion, I'd kill myself without hesitation.

As for the whole federal funding thing, should I be able to opt out of paying taxes for the fire department if I'm against saving Republicans from burning to death in fires? No, because that's psychotic and I should care about my fellow citizens enough to pay for things like that. To me, unwanted pregnancy is as much of a disaster as a house fire (can certainly have as many financial and emotional costs). Besides, the Repub house recently voted to continue Pentagon funding for ******* NASCAR. If you're really against federal funding, go after the things that no one needs first.

[JoinHandsUS]

An incredible testimony to the importance of Planned Parenthood, but also to the broader problems with the way rape and sexual violence are treated in this society. This is about women's lives and women's bodies, women's healthcare and wellness. Thank you for speaking out, Chloe!

[meboard]

I think women who don't want to have an abortion shouldn't have one.

[tsigili]

The attack on Planned Parenthood, is simply a religious attack on what some misguided people think is murder. Here is something for those foolish people to consider.......the natural world is comprised of a lot more than humans.....and many species on this planet, will not permit the survival of offspring that is either: physically defective, unwanted, or unable to care for itself, in the face of predators.

In other words.....such an approach as abortion, is part of the natural order. To think otherwise simply demonstrates the awful brainwashing, that religion perpetrates on the minds of humans.

[prof_robinson]

Yes, in the wild, Lion males will kill the offspring of the female he just "won" from another male. Female animals will kill their offspring because they need food, because they have been touched by human beings, because they don't like them... animals will kill their offspring for whatever little whimsical reason they can think of. The idea, I thought - you know, evolution and all - was that we were <i>above</i> that sort of thing. that we should aspire to be more than just animals. The one thing about these animals, though, that I admire is... they kill their babies and don't try and rationalize it are have other animals do it for them. In that sense, Progressives haven't even evolved <i>as much</i> as animals, never mind past that.

[DinahCancer]

Planned Parenthood is a vital organization. Only more difficulties, expenses, unwanted pregnancies and avoidable tragedies for American citizens will result if this unconscionable act by smug, reckless Republicans somehow becomes law. Thankfully, there's a majority of rational, serious Democrats in the Senate, and an actual grown-up holding the veto pen in the White House. It's now more important than ever that we keep it that way in 2012.