Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest’s own Dr. Toni Marengo won the “Veteran of Influence Award” this month — given at the Women of Influence Award Ceremony.
The Veteran of Influence Award recognizes “a female veteran who has achieved success and influence in business after her service, and is a shining example of veteran success.”
The two-hour YouTube ceremony featured videos made by the nominees, including a very inspiring one by Dr. Marengo. She explained how she has fought for reproductive rights, first as an OBGYN at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, and now as our Chief Medical Officer here at Planned Parenthood.
“A woman of influence is someone who decides to step up for advocacy, really fights for what they believe in, and fights for other people. My whole career as an OBGYN, I’ve been taking care of other people, and I believe in fighting for them and specifically for their reproductive rights.
“In the military, I learned that women in particular had difficulty accessing basic services like contraception, and of course, difficulty accessing abortion when it’s needed.
“In 2016, I moved over to Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest as the Chief Medical Officer...here I can continue to fight for all of those active-duty women, veterans, and all women and people in San Diego and beyond.”
Dr. Marengo became our Chief Medical Officer two and half years ago. San Diego is her hometown: She grew up in Oceanside, where her father was a retired Marine.
“Quite honestly, it’s an interesting time, because it was really the last election that spurred me to leave my beloved military, where I was prior active duty in the U.S. Navy and then continuing to serve as an OBGYN in Naval Medical Center San Diego. And I felt that I really needed a broader voice to advocate for women, particularly our active duty and our veterans, so that they could have control over their own bodies, and continue to fight for reproductive choice, including contraception and abortion for all people."
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