A new smartphone app allows minors to find New York City abortion and “family planning” facilities more efficiently than before. Now, at the touch of a button, teenagers can locate nearby abortion clinics, the right type of birth control, STD testing, or advice about same-sex attractions, all without the knowledge of their parents.
The app is available on the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s website where teens can easily download it. When they open it for the first time, they are greeted with the message: “Teens in NYC…have the right to sexual health services without permission from parents, girlfriends/boyfriends, or anyone else.”
There are three links on the app: “Where to Go,” “What to Get,” and “What to Expect.” “Where to Go” determines the teen’s location and shows her the nearest facilities to procure an abortion or birth control. “What to Get” describes various types of birth control, their benefits, and whether the teen needs to be in the care of a physician to acquire them. “What to Expect” features a series of videos in which teen stars encourage the viewers that they are in control of their sex lives and that their parents have no right to know about their sexual activity.
One of the videos features a teen playing the role of Samantha, a girl who has sex with her boyfriend but also experiences feelings of attraction to her female best friend. She describes how the app helped her find an LGBT friendly clinic to discuss her feelings.
“If you are a teenager in New York City there are places you can go for free, confidential sexual health services,” Samantha says. “It’s easy to find somewhere to go and you don’t need permission from anyone to get services.”
Another video stars Jenn, who is informed by a counselor about New York’s Family Planning Benefit Program, a taxpayer-funded service which provides family planning to men and women who meet certain requirements.
If the state of New York was looking for another way to raise its appalling 40% abortion rate, it’s certainly found it.
