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Who is Roxanne Schiebergen? Writer says Planned Parenthood refused her abortion as she uses wheelchair

Planned Parenthood accused a third-party contractor for the issue

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: An NYC writer has claimed that she was denied abortion by Planned Parenthood because she is wheelchair-bound. Roxanne Schiebergen, 30, also said that because of the shocking refusal, she had to seek termination at another facility and spend four times more — $2,000 — on the process.

Schiebergen has shared her story with The New York Times. She told the publication that in 2021, she got romantically involved with a man and around a month into it, she realized that she was expecting. She explained, “I was freaking out. I kept on taking tests. I was in a brand-new relationship. Having a family was something I wanted to do with someone I loved, and I didn’t know him.”

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The Netherlands native, who has been disabled since childhood because of a car accident, said that she then called Planned Parenthood of Greater New York in July last year and tried to fix an appointment. “I was crying from the start. I told her I had a spinal cord injury and rods in my back from scoliosis,” said Schiebergen, who also stated that during the call she did not mention the wheelchair. She added, “When people hear the word ‘wheelchair,’ they make decisions for me about what I can and cannot do without having any understanding of what I do for myself every single day.”

The actress reportedly got the appointment and was also told that the termination would cost her $500. Later, Schiebergen said she got a call from the non-profit for the confirmation and at that time, she told them, “By the way, I’m in a wheelchair. Just making sure you guys have an elevator.” But instead of receiving support, her appointment was canceled by a Planned Parenthood representative, who asserted, “We don’t do procedures for people in a wheelchair.”

Schiebergen said, “I felt like this can’t be real. I started bargaining. I said something along the lines of, ‘I can get on a table by myself. I’m very independent.’ This was through tears.” But months later, when she got to know of a marketing flyer promoting a rally called “Bans Off Our Bodies” by Planned Parenthood which featured a woman in a wheelchair, she was stunned.

“I felt genuinely confused, like maybe I had said or done something wrong,” Schiebergen said and to make sure, her interaction was not a misunderstanding, she called Planned Parenthood again. She posed as a pregnant woman and asked for an abortion. “I have a spinal cord injury and I’m in a wheelchair. I can’t walk. I just want to make sure that that’s not an issue,” she told a person from the organization over the call, and this time again, she was refused.

However, later a Planned Parenthood representative, who got to know about the call, approached her and confirmed her appointment. Schiebergen pointed out, “Ultimately, when someone who has a disability calls Planned Parenthood to schedule an abortion — which is already a frightening and chaotic experience — they should be welcomed and asked how Planned Parenthood can assist them in a way that is safe, without being told ‘no, no, no’ multiple times.”

After Schiebergen’s news went out, Samuel R Mitchell Jr, Planned Parenthood’s chief operating officer, issued a statement, saying: “We deeply regret that Ms Schiebergen was misinformed of Planned Parenthood of Greater New York’s ability to provide abortion care to patients in wheelchairs.” The organization also accused a third-party contractor for the issue, stating, “Ms Schiebergen’s appointment was clearly mismanaged and we sincerely apologize. Last year, PPGNY ended its contract with that specific vendor.”

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However, several people took to Twitter to slam Planned Parenthood. Author Emily Ladau, who’s also wheelchair-bound, tweeted, “I wanted to do an accessibility review of my local Planned Parenthood for a college project. Denied. A decade later I'm actively involved in some of the work PPGNY is doing to make sex ed more inclusive & accessible, yet this shows how far we have to go.” A user said, “What does a wheelchair have anything to do with it. Obviously nothing to her organs.” University of Chicago professor, Harold Pollack, added: “Inexcusable lack of access by this Planned Parenthood facility. Serving people who use wheelchairs is a clear and basic obligation under ADA.  || For a Woman in a Wheelchair, Abortion Access Was One More Challenge.”