U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Betsey Metz
November 27, 2009
by Susie Pender and Christine Yeres
Editor’s note: More than 225 supporters, friends, and elected officials gathered on October 23 in White Plains for the 2009 Empower Luncheon of Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic to honor Chappaqua resident Betsey Casey Metz for her exceptional community leadership, passion, commitment and dedication to protecting women’s health, rights, and safety. Guests at the luncheon enjoyed a keynote speech by Fran Lebowitz, celebrated humorist, essayist and best-selling author.
Betsey was kind enough to respond to the following questions from NewCastleNOW.org about her 44-year involvement with Planned Parenthood. Not surprisingly, she tried throughout to keep the focus on Planned Parenthood, not herself, and on its accomplishments and continuing need for advocates and volunteers.
Q: When did you begin working with Planned Parenthood, and what were women’s options at that time?
A: I started volunteering at the Mt. Kisco Center in 1965 when I was pregnant with my third child. I felt very fortunate that I was having the family I wanted and a good friend and neighbor, Jane Paterson, a former president of Planned Parenthood of Northern Westchester, enticed me to volunteer there in the evening.
Women were still coming to Mt. Kisco from Connecticut because birth control was illegal there – even for married women! – until that year when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Griswold v. Connecticut that Connecticut’s prohibition on the use of contraceptives was a violation of the constitutional right to privacy. By the way, Griswold was the Director of Planned Parenthood of Connecticut.
Jane eventually moved to Ohio, became a Planned Parenthood force in the Central Region and ended her career there as the Professional Development Officer for Planned Parenthood of Toledo. But most Chappaqua folks will remember her as the attendance officer at Horace Greeley High School. Anyone who had a truant in the 70’s will know her name.
My friend and long-time Chappaqua resident Marian Williams was on the Planned Parenthood board with me in those early years. She should be honored for all her hard work putting on the late, great, massive Tag Sale and Auction that Planned Parenthood held at Lyndhurst in Tarrytown for 35 plus years.
Q: What’s the patient/client demographic nowadays? Has it changed?
A: Well, there has been something called the Sexual Revolution. Our clients are very diverse: age, marital status, socioeconomic status, culture, religion . . . and we see men. Of course, our Latino population has been growing.
Q: From your perspective, can you give us some history on Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic?
A: Back in the day, before strict medical and government regulations and before women headed for the paid workforce, Planned Parenthood was run by volunteers and there was a large supporting committee here in Chappaqua and other towns in Northern Westchester. There are still volunteer opportunities and all believers can become advocates through the Internet.
I first worked in the Planned Parenthood office in Mt. Kisco, then in the 70’s we merged with three other Planned Parenthood’s in the county and were headquartered in White Plains. In the 80’s we merged with Planned Parenthood of Rockland County and then 10 years ago with Planned Parenthood of Suffolk County (the East End of Long Island – Peconic Bay). It was then that we became Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic (PPHP).
PPHP is headquartered in Hawthorne, NY. For more information about PPHP services and programs, visit www.pphp.org. Volunteer opportunities are available for all skills levels. To learn more about these, contact Ellen Blonstein at (914) 220-1025.
During those years, I had roles on the local, regional and national level, including evaluating other Planned Parenthood affiliates. It is that experience that confirms for me that PPHP is an outstanding affiliate; indeed, it is considered a model for other Planned Parenthood affiliates around the country.
Q: Is there any way of knowing how many women Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic has helped?
A: Today we have 12 health centers with medical, counseling and education services in Westchester, Rockland, Putnam and Suffolk Counties. In 2008, PPHP provided those services to over 36,000 patients in over 70,000 visits, conducted over 1,800 education programs reaching more than 30,000 youth and adults and mobilized some 10,000 advocates to protect reproductive health care rights. Last summer we very reluctantly closed the Mt. Kisco Center, but not before assuring that all of our patients there could easily access our White Plains or Brewster centers or the Open Door Family Medical Center, Mt. Kisco.
Q: What are the biggest challenges nowadays for Planned Parenthood?
A: Fundraising is always a challenge, especially now when private donations are precarious because of the economy. Government grants are threatened by belt-tightening in Albany. Planned Parenthood is the safety net for many clients because they pay only what they can afford and no one is ever turned away. Looking into the future, there may be a shortage of medical providers.
Passing the torch is also a huge challenge. We need to keep reminding each generation not to take their reproductive freedom for granted because it only came after some hard-fought battles. Unfortunately, it is still constantly under attack and we always need persistent advocates.
Q: Can you recall for our readers any particularly sweet victory?
A: Putnam County was a triumph for supporters there. It was the last un-served county in the state. Over intense opposition from some politicians and a very vocal fringe group, Planned Parenthood now has a beautiful center in Brewster.
Q: Looking back over your 44 years of service to Planned Parenthood and its goals, what have you taken away from the experience?
A: Being involved in one of the important movements of the 20th (and now 21st) century has certainly enriched my life and my world view. I have made many friends all over the country along the way who have inspired me. We are all working, one family at a time, on securing reproductive rights with the hope that every child will be a wanted child.
Betsey Casey Metz and her husband David have lived in Chappaqua for 46 years. Their four children, Harry, Andy, Stephen and Alden, all went through the Chappaqua school system. She reports that they are all seasoned advocates and always pitched in to help with fundraisers over the years. Now she’s training grandchildren.
Copyright 2012 NewCastleNOW.org