“As a young woman looking ahead to my future, I want to know that I can rely on preventive health care coverage for not only my yearly Pap smears, but all of my regular health screenings. However, new health care guidelines are threatening to eliminate Pap smears from coverage. I believe that knowing my mother, my sisters and I are clear of cervical cancer makes me more excited for our futures together.

…My mother raised me to stay on top of my preventive health: going to the dentist, the eye doctor, getting a regular physical, etc. She has texted me 5 times this week about when I am going to get my flu shot. It wasn’t until I got older, and my younger sister was born, that I understood the importance of learning to take care of yourself at a young age. I am extremely thankful for how much she cares for my health. Due to my mother’s influence, I trust in cervical prevention and screenings to ensure the protection from a disease that is detectable and preventable.”

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Every human with a cervix should have access to covered Pap smears. As a young woman looking ahead to my future, I want to know that I can rely on preventive health care coverage for not only my yearly Pap smears, but all of my regular health screenings. However, new health care guidelines are threatening to eliminate Pap smears from your exams. I believe that knowing my mother, my sisters and I are clear of cervical cancer makes me more excited for our futures together. The death rate for cervical cancer decreased significantly with the increased use of Pap and HPV tests; but this can only continue if our health care providers can support us. Most cervical cancers are found in women that have never had Pap smears, and I believe that with the help of Protect the Pap, we can encourage more women to get the yearly test. Women that don’t have health insurance, have recently immigrated, or have low incomes are also more likely to not receive cervical cancer screening. If anything in life is free, it appeals more to people. As for me and all women, we need the support of our health care providers to help us feel safe about our futures. My mother raised me to stay on top of my preventive health: going to the dentist, the eye doctor, getting a regular physical, etc. She has texted me 5 times this week about when I am going to get my flu shot. It wasn’t until I got older, and my younger sister was born, that I understood the importance of learning to take care of yourself at a young age. I am extremely thankful for how much she cares for my health. Due to my mother’s influence, I trust in cervical prevention and screenings to ensure the protection from a disease that is detectable and preventable. To all women: get a Pap test and go to the gynecologist! We are all in this together! This content was paid for by Protect the Pap on a Branded Content Partnership.

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