This Week's Interview – Skeek Frazee
By Zack Anchors
Staff writer
Skeek Frazee has won a few awards in recent years, but when was chosen as the honoree of the sixteenth annual "Evening Honoring Women and Girls of Maine," the occasion was especially meaningful to her. For ten years she had attended the event and been involved with the group that put it on – the Maine Women's Fund. To Frazee, the women who were honored at the event, like State Senator Lynn Bromley and Director of Family Crises Services Lois Reckitt, are among the most admirable and inspiring women in the state.
"To have my young colleagues place me in that orbit was a huge honor," Frazee said in an interview at her office in Scarborough last Tuesday. "It was my Academy Award."
Frazee, who lives in South Portland, is the director of communications at Planned Parenthood Northern New England (PPNNE), the largest reproductive health care and sexuality education provider in northern New England.
"Mostly its women's reproductive health care – but we also serve men and provide other health services," Frazee said.
Frazee was chosen as the recipient of the Maine Women's Fund award for her work with PPNNE, but also for many years of devotion to women's advocacy that extends well beyond her job. Since she moved to Maine in 1978, she has worked with groups like the Family Crisis Shelter, Sexual Response Services and Konbit Sante, driven by a deep commitment to the women's movement and the desire to provide health education and services to young people. In her position at PPNNE, she serves as the voice of one of the largest Planned Parenthood affiliates in the country.
Last year, just at Maine's four clinics alone, PPPNE provided services for 13,382 patients. Although the clinics focus on reproductive health care, Frazee said that a range of other health care services are also offered.
"For many women of a certain age that's the only health care they’re getting," she said.
Frazee said there tends to be confusion surrounding the aims and services provided by Planned Parenthood, largely due to the controversy the organization sometimes stirs up in its political advocacy. Among the myths that she encounters are that Planned Parenthood only serves poor women, that it only works with young people in secret and that its major mandate is to provide post-pregnancy services like abortion.
"Because we've been politically involved with abortion through our advocacy we've been overidentified with that issue," she said. "Ninety percent of our work is preventative care. And we provide health care access to everyone regardless of your financial situation."
In fact, Frazee said that one in four American women use Planned Parenthood's services at some point in their life. She said many women who used the organization's services in their youth even come back years later for help dealing with menopause.
"They know that we're going to give them straight answers," said Frazee.
And as for the idea that Planned Parenthood encourages young people to keep their choices about their reproductive health secret from their parents, Frazee said just the opposite is true.
"There's some kind of a sense that Planned Parenthood sees teens and doesn't involve the parents," she said. "But most do involve the parents. Many parents want to be there for their kids –they’re just so freaked out by these issues."
Frazee said that a major aim of PPNNE is to promote dialogue between parents and their children about sexuality.
"We are very committed to breaking down the wall of silence between parents and their children," she said. "We're part of a group that is starting a forum for parents talking with their children."
That forum is a nationwide program called Real Life, Real Talk that will develop collaborations between schools, faith organizations, health providers and other community groups to launch a social marketing campaign to promote dialogue about sexuality. Portland is among four communities throughout the country where the Real Life, Real Talk is operating a pilot program.
"It's not about an political agenda – it's about real, honest conversation. We are a culture that's oversaturated with sex but that's struggling to help young people negotiate their sexual lives,” Frazee said. "They’re seeing sex everywhere and we don't even know how to start that conversation."
Among the services that people come to PPNNE clinics for are immunizations, pregnancy testing, cervical and breast cancer screening and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases.
"We also help people make decisions about contraceptive options – about what works for their age and lifestyle," Frazee said.
Frazee is very excited about one recent development regarding the options available for birth control – the approval of emergency contraception as an over-the-counter drug accessible in pharmacies. Emergency contraception is a method of preventing pregnancy up to 120 hours after unprotected sex or after contraceptives fail. The method consists of two pills that are taken twelve hours apart and that reduce the chance of pregnancy by 76 to 99 percent. It works best within 12 hours of sex. PPNNE recently held a "Free EC" day in which they distributed the pills. Frazee said that one reason women might want to have a dose available is to prevent pregnancy in the event they are victim of a sexual assault.
"We encourage women to have it on hand," said Frazee. "It holds the promise to reduce abortion rates."
Frazee said that EC could easily have been available much earlier if not for efforts by the Bush administration to prevent over-the-counter access.
"The FDA advising committee approved it 40 months ago and it just got caught up in political wrangling," she said. "They were saying it would promote promiscuity ... and it's just foolish."
Because of the sensitivity that tends to surround issues of sexuality in America and Planned Parenthood's commitment to fight for abortion rights, the organization's missions are sometimes overshadowed by controversy. Frazee said that in Maine, people are generally supportive of the PPNNE's goals, including its support for the availability of abortion.
"Maine is a very pro-choice state," she said. "I think there is a Yankee-like quality that says, 'My choice is for me to make and not for someone else.'"
Frazee, who has lived in South Portland for ten years, grew up in a small town in Wisconsin and moved to Maine after studying human development and psychology at college. Once here she met a man from Bar Harbor who she would eventually marry and have two children with. Her son, 15 years old. is a freshman at South Portland High School and her daughter, 18 years old, has been traveling the world, pursuing a career in international development.
Staff writer
Skeek Frazee has won a few awards in recent years, but when was chosen as the honoree of the sixteenth annual "Evening Honoring Women and Girls of Maine," the occasion was especially meaningful to her. For ten years she had attended the event and been involved with the group that put it on – the Maine Women's Fund. To Frazee, the women who were honored at the event, like State Senator Lynn Bromley and Director of Family Crises Services Lois Reckitt, are among the most admirable and inspiring women in the state.
"To have my young colleagues place me in that orbit was a huge honor," Frazee said in an interview at her office in Scarborough last Tuesday. "It was my Academy Award."
Frazee, who lives in South Portland, is the director of communications at Planned Parenthood Northern New England (PPNNE), the largest reproductive health care and sexuality education provider in northern New England.
"Mostly its women's reproductive health care – but we also serve men and provide other health services," Frazee said.
Frazee was chosen as the recipient of the Maine Women's Fund award for her work with PPNNE, but also for many years of devotion to women's advocacy that extends well beyond her job. Since she moved to Maine in 1978, she has worked with groups like the Family Crisis Shelter, Sexual Response Services and Konbit Sante, driven by a deep commitment to the women's movement and the desire to provide health education and services to young people. In her position at PPNNE, she serves as the voice of one of the largest Planned Parenthood affiliates in the country.
Last year, just at Maine's four clinics alone, PPPNE provided services for 13,382 patients. Although the clinics focus on reproductive health care, Frazee said that a range of other health care services are also offered.
"For many women of a certain age that's the only health care they’re getting," she said.
Frazee said there tends to be confusion surrounding the aims and services provided by Planned Parenthood, largely due to the controversy the organization sometimes stirs up in its political advocacy. Among the myths that she encounters are that Planned Parenthood only serves poor women, that it only works with young people in secret and that its major mandate is to provide post-pregnancy services like abortion.
"Because we've been politically involved with abortion through our advocacy we've been overidentified with that issue," she said. "Ninety percent of our work is preventative care. And we provide health care access to everyone regardless of your financial situation."
In fact, Frazee said that one in four American women use Planned Parenthood's services at some point in their life. She said many women who used the organization's services in their youth even come back years later for help dealing with menopause.
"They know that we're going to give them straight answers," said Frazee.
And as for the idea that Planned Parenthood encourages young people to keep their choices about their reproductive health secret from their parents, Frazee said just the opposite is true.
"There's some kind of a sense that Planned Parenthood sees teens and doesn't involve the parents," she said. "But most do involve the parents. Many parents want to be there for their kids –they’re just so freaked out by these issues."
Frazee said that a major aim of PPNNE is to promote dialogue between parents and their children about sexuality.
"We are very committed to breaking down the wall of silence between parents and their children," she said. "We're part of a group that is starting a forum for parents talking with their children."
That forum is a nationwide program called Real Life, Real Talk that will develop collaborations between schools, faith organizations, health providers and other community groups to launch a social marketing campaign to promote dialogue about sexuality. Portland is among four communities throughout the country where the Real Life, Real Talk is operating a pilot program.
"It's not about an political agenda – it's about real, honest conversation. We are a culture that's oversaturated with sex but that's struggling to help young people negotiate their sexual lives,” Frazee said. "They’re seeing sex everywhere and we don't even know how to start that conversation."
Among the services that people come to PPNNE clinics for are immunizations, pregnancy testing, cervical and breast cancer screening and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases.
"We also help people make decisions about contraceptive options – about what works for their age and lifestyle," Frazee said.
Frazee is very excited about one recent development regarding the options available for birth control – the approval of emergency contraception as an over-the-counter drug accessible in pharmacies. Emergency contraception is a method of preventing pregnancy up to 120 hours after unprotected sex or after contraceptives fail. The method consists of two pills that are taken twelve hours apart and that reduce the chance of pregnancy by 76 to 99 percent. It works best within 12 hours of sex. PPNNE recently held a "Free EC" day in which they distributed the pills. Frazee said that one reason women might want to have a dose available is to prevent pregnancy in the event they are victim of a sexual assault.
"We encourage women to have it on hand," said Frazee. "It holds the promise to reduce abortion rates."
Frazee said that EC could easily have been available much earlier if not for efforts by the Bush administration to prevent over-the-counter access.
"The FDA advising committee approved it 40 months ago and it just got caught up in political wrangling," she said. "They were saying it would promote promiscuity ... and it's just foolish."
Because of the sensitivity that tends to surround issues of sexuality in America and Planned Parenthood's commitment to fight for abortion rights, the organization's missions are sometimes overshadowed by controversy. Frazee said that in Maine, people are generally supportive of the PPNNE's goals, including its support for the availability of abortion.
"Maine is a very pro-choice state," she said. "I think there is a Yankee-like quality that says, 'My choice is for me to make and not for someone else.'"
Frazee, who has lived in South Portland for ten years, grew up in a small town in Wisconsin and moved to Maine after studying human development and psychology at college. Once here she met a man from Bar Harbor who she would eventually marry and have two children with. Her son, 15 years old. is a freshman at South Portland High School and her daughter, 18 years old, has been traveling the world, pursuing a career in international development.
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