Planned Parenthood is an organization that provides health services for the reproductive system around the United States and globally. Planned Parenthood strives to prevent unintended pregnancies, improve sexual health, and inform individuals to make informed decisions.
Several Planned Parenthood clinics provide services such as but not limited to, birth control, longacting reversible contraception, emergency contraception, clinical breast examinations, cervical cancer screening, pregnancy testing and pregnancy options counseling, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, sex education, vasectomies, LGBT services, and abortion.
Based on my research towards the government trying to defund Planned Parenthood, I believe that the government should not defund Planned Parenthood because of its significance to the health of low-income families and the variety of health-related services it provides in addition to abortions. Planned Parenthood started when Margaret Sanger and her sister Ethel Byrne founded a clinic that was the first birth control clinic in the United States.
The goal of Planned Parenthood is to “… to help woman with family planning and now provides contraceptives, preventative care, abortions, counseling, and sex education… (Lewin). Planned Parenthood used to be the only provider of contraceptives and abortions for young women, unmarried women, and suddenly dozens of health clinics that aren’t affiliated with Planned Parenthood provide those needs as well, which became a challenge for Planned Parenthood (Lewin). Planned Parenthood received funding since the 1970s which provides family planning services such as family planning information and contraception.
In an article from the Planned Parenthood website, it stated that, “Since 1970, the Title X Family Planning Program has helped millions of low income eople afford much needed health care… “(plannedparenthood. org). However, Paul Ryan, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, said on Thursday, January 5th, that the Republicans plan to defund Planned Parenthood when they try to repeal the Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as Obamacare. Based on the article by Harrington, it states that, “when the new Congress took over, with Republicans making their case for repealing the ACA and Democrats arguing to save it”(Harrington).
The plan involves a number of changes to the health insurance system, but the one that may have the biggest impact on people is the defunding of Planned Parenthood. The GOP’s bill makes it clear that if Planned Parenthood continues to provide abortion care in which represents 3% of their yearly services, it will be defunded. According to Planned Parenthood officials, defunding the Planned Parenthood can severely affect California, Oregon, New York, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Washington state based on the fact there are high percentages of people who utilize Planned Parenthood clinics.
President Trump is telling Planned Parenthood that their funding can stay if they discontinue providing abortion. According to an article in new York Times, it states that, “The White House, concerned about the possible political repercussions of the Republican effort to defund Planned Parenthood, has proposed preserving federal payments to the group it it discontinues providing abortions.. “(Haberman). President trump also stated that he tried to replace Obamacare in which will affect Planned Parenthood and restricts abortion coverage.
In an article by Crockett, it stated that, “If the defunding provisions passed, though, the CBO found that it would reduce access to services that help women avert pregnancies-especially for people who are low income or live in rural areas. Planned Parenthood provides health services for low income people, people living in rural communities, people of color, and women of all ages. However, politicians in congress, Vice President Mike Pence and Health and Human Services Secretary designee Tom Price have the urge to defund Planned Parenthood.
Many supporters of Planned Parenthood, feminists, pro-choice, low income families, and Planned Parenthood president, Cecile Richards believe that if Planned Parenthood is defunded many patients have no other accessible health care options, providers won’t be able to take up Planned Parenthood’s patients, millions of patients would lose access to care, and most of all they believe that denying health care and education to millions of people won’t make this country great.
In an article, Ending the Silence That Fuels Abortion Stigma, it states, “At Planned Parenthood, we see the impact of abortion stigma firsthand, in the women who delay getting reproductive health care because they fear they’ll be labeled and judged. We see the effect of stigma on doctors, health center staffers, and others who help provide abortion services. And we see the impact in laws that regulate and restrict abortion in ways that would never happen with any other medical procedure. “(Richards).
This article was written by Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood in which she discusses the realization of what women are facing and how grateful Planned Parenthood has been for the patients. Significant amount of pro-life opinions in popular media, as well as the Republican politicians are working to defund Planned Parenthood. In an article from New York Times, it states that, “Polling shows the majority of Americans oppose public funding for abortion, even those who identify as pro choice (WITW Staff).
Several anti-abortion activists tried to demonstrate that Planned Parenthood wasn’t following the laws. Some tried to demonstrate by showing hidden videos of Planned Parenthood workers who were performing illegal ways to abort. Several staff of Planned Parenthood did get fired or were on probation due to the suspicious activities that they were claimed to be in, such as selling fetal tissues from the abortions that were performed. Based on an article, “Unspinning the Planned Parenthood Video”, some Republican presidential candidates claim that
Planned Parenthood is making profits from abortions, and on an unedited video they cite, “Planned Parenthood executive repeatedly saying its clinics want to cover their costs, not make money, when donating fetal tissue from abortions for scientific research… “(Levitan). This explains that there are controversies whether Planned Parenthood is reliable or misleading to people who rely on reproductive services such as abortion. Planned Parenthood is a nonprofit organization that people receive eproductive health care and education around the World.
In an article from the Planned Parenthood website stated that, “Half of Planned Parenthood patients are covered through medicaid, which serves low income individuals and families” (Plannedparenthood. org). According to a scholarly article it states that, “Closing Planned Parenthood clinics is not beneficial to states. When states are in a financial crisis, they choose to sometimes privatize services and lessen the burden on government, but these laws seem to have the opposite effect: they shift the burden to public clinics to care for thousands of women and men receiving care from Planned Parenthood clinics” (McConnell).
The essential reproductive health services Planned Parenthood provides are not always readily accessible which is why Planned Parenthood is necessary and shouldn’t be defunded. Most of Planned Parenthood’s federal funding is from Medicaid reimbursements for preventive care, and some are from Title X. I believe that health care is important for everyone and since Planned Parenthood provides health services to people who are in need, I believe that the government should not defund Planned Parenthood.