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HCET Home > On-line Training > The Culture of Family Planning
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The Culture of Family
Planning An HCET LearningLink On-line Training Module |
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Introduction
& the History of Family Planning
Sections
Fundamentals of Family Planning
- Confidentiality
- Education and Information
- Options and Choices
- Cultural Competence
- Future and Political Aspects
- Resources
Introduction
Family planning entails decisions made by women and men concerning their reproductive health, choices in the timing and spacing of their children, and choices in what circumstances they have families. The foundation of family planning comprises a set of underlying values in this field, which create a culture that distinguishes it from other healthcare settings.
Fostering a family planning culture requires more than just technical skills and knowledge. Learning and teaching processes are essential to the culture of family planning, as are options and choices. A key component of family planning involves educating women and men on their contraceptive options and providing a comprehensive healthcare experience. Family planning is not judgmental; it simply assists women and men to formulate their own judgments concerning family planning. The culture of family planning develops as the knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors it encompasses are passed on from person to person and organization to organization. By continuously expanding their knowledge base, those involved in family planning can remain true to the fundamentals that define it.
This module was based on interviews with a diverse group of individuals involved in family planning throughout the state of Wisconsin. Information was gathered from nurse practitioners, nurses, clinic directors, health educators and seasoned professionals. These interviews emphasized four core fundamentals of the culture of family planning: Confidentiality, Education and Information, Options and Choices, and Cultural Competence.
Included in this web module are links to sites with information on the four core fundamentals of the culture of family planning. This site is intended to be relevant for family planning healthcare professionals, new staff members in family planning, and individuals interested in gaining knowledge about the culture of family planning.
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“Family planning means education, reproductive anatomy, and physiology. It means providing the whole gamut of care a woman of reproductive age needs. It is care and education.” - Pat Borchert, Director of Community Health Services at NEWCAP, Oconto, WI. |
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“Women are valuable. They are valuable participants in our society. Access to reproductive health care is important and we are proud of what we do.” - Lon Newman, Executive Director of Family Planning Health Services, Wausau, WI |
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“Working in the family planning field opened my eyes not just to the plight of women, but the politics surrounding it. I became socially aware and involved.” -Billee Bayou, Former Director, Southwest Wisconsin Community Action Program, Reproductive Health Care Center, Platteville, WI and Founding Board Member and former President, Wisconsin Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association
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“We are proud providers to the empowered.” - Sue Kettner, Public Relations Coordinator, Family Planning Health Services, Wausau, WI. |
“It was the most significant work I’ve done in a 40 year career—so far. We created a cadre of women—professional and lay—that remain a model for how the workplace and the world can work.”
- Elaine Wheeler, RN, MPH, Nurse Researcher, UW School of Medicine and Public Health Madison, WI
Pioneers of family planning strove to create social change in order for family planning to thrive. The fruits of their labor established today’s services family planning clinics provide. To understand the values and beliefs of the family planning culture, the history of family planning must be examined. This timeline shows significant dates in the history of family planning.Family Planning Timeline
| 1873 | Congress passed the Comstock Act which outlawed the distribution of birth control methods or information through the mail. Many states did the same and passed their own laws outlawing the advertising, sale, and distribution of contraception. 1 |
| 1916 | Margaret Sanger, Ethel Byrne, and Fania Mindell opened the country’s first birth control clinic in New York City. 2 |
| 1933 | Wisconsin legislature passed the Birth Control Act which labeled contraceptives as “indecent articles”. It became illegal to procure these “indecent articles” to unmarried people. 3 |
| 1949 | The first Planned Parenthood clinic opened in Wisconsin at 720 N Jefferson Street in Milwaukee. |
| 1960 | FDA approved Envoid for contraceptive use. |
| 1965 | The Office of Economic Opportunity funded the first federal family planning grants. These grants allowed other antipoverty proposals to contain provisions intended to improve access to family planning services.4 |
| 1967 | Bea Kabler developed the organization Wisconsin Citizens for Family Planning, Inc. to work on changing the law of 1933. |
| 1970 | Title X of the Public Health Service Act was passed. Title X was intended to make contraceptive services and supplies available to anyone in need, despite their income. Title X is the only federal program devoted solely to the provision of family planning services on a nationwide basis.5 |
| 1971 | Title X funds were obtained by Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin (PPW) to establish services in Milwaukee. Several CAP agencies also received grants directly from the Office of Population Affairs (OPA). Six counties in Wisconsin have family planning services. |
| 1973 | Roe v. Wade, the landmark United States Supreme Court case that established many of the state laws against abortion yet violate a constitutional right to privacy. Roe v Wade overturned all state laws outlawing or restricting abortion.6 The first class graduated from the Planned Parenthood Nurse Practitioner program in Wisconsin. Wisconsin Family Planning Coordinating Council (WFPCC, Inc.) was organized – with the support of DHFS and became the Wisconsin Grantee for Title X. Expansion of services occurred in high density population centers. WFPCC contracted with PPW, Community Action Programs, and other non-governmental organizations to provide services. |
| 1976 | The governor of Wisconsin signed the bill Bea Kabler first proposed in 1967 and the 1933 Birth Control Act was repealed. |
| 1988 | The Wisconsin State Legislature increased the family planning GPR appropriations for cervical cancer and STD screening. These resources are used to support cervical cancer and STD screening in all publicly-supported clinics including Title X clinics. GPR funds were appropriated for services in Kenosha County; it then became a Title V/GPR County. Title V funds have supported pregnancy testing services in all Title X clinics since 1988. |
| 1999 | Plan B approved by FDA. (Emergency Contraception) |
| 2000 | The Planned Parenthood Nurse Practitioner program in Wisconsin closes due to lack of funding. |
| 2003 | Family Planning Medicaid Waiver went into effect in Wisconsin providing access to care for women ages 15-44 that are at or below 185% of the federal poverty level. |
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