Alexis McCarty Ms. Fehr Essay 3 4 April 2016 Government Funding of Planned Parenthood Planned Parenthood is an organization that provides healthcare and education to both men and women, having over 650 health centers that provide healthcare to countless communities around the world. Shockingly, 78% of those who use Planned Parenthoods services live at or below 150% of the federal poverty line, showing how important this organization is to low-income families (Topulos, Greene, Drazen). Their mission statement is “A Reason for Being”, which is shown through their efforts to provide health care, advocate public policies, create educational programs, and endorse research. There are those who do not believe Planned Parenthood should be funded by the government, though, due to the fact that they provide abortions to women in need. Studies show that the effects of not having Planned Parenthood available are disastrous, causing low-income families to lack a healthcare provider and the number of those who are infected with STD’s and STI’s to rise. The biggest concern communities have about the government defunding Planned Parenthood is the effects that it would have on low-income families who would no longer have access to something that many people take for granted: health care. Although many believe that Planned Parenthood mostly provides abortions, in reality, only 3% of the people that seek help from them receive an abortion, while 97% receive affordable and, in many cases,
This current debate whether Planned Parenthood should be funded by the Federal Government is a hot issue in the current election. It has become, not only a nationwide issue, but also worldwide where people from all around the world are able to put in their input on the argument. There are many people who
Planned Parenthood is a controversial topic sweeping the nation of America with political and moral issues. Every day one could come across a new article on it, stubble upon a news article in their local paper or even on their local news station. Planned Parenthood directly provides reproductive health services, is involved in teach young students about sexual education, contributes to research in reproductive technology, and interacts with legal and political efforts aimed at protecting and developing reproductive rights.
Abortions only make up three percent of the procedures done at Planned Parenthood clinics (“2014 2015 Annual Report”). There are a variety of other life saving and essential health care procedures done at the clinics, such as STD and STI testing, pregnancy tests, contraception, exams, and other health issues relating to both men and women. Many people believe that the federal government should defund planned parenthood; however, this would make it almost impossible for many low-income individuals to receive the care that they need. The federal government should not defund Planned Parenthood (PP) because abortion is not a valid reason for opposing funding because it is allowed by law, low-income individuals and families need the affordable
Planned parenthood has been a topic of controversy the last couple of years, as people throughout the nation ask whether or not the healthcare organization should be defunded. When video footage was released in 2015 of “Planned Parenthood medical officials discussing the sale of fetal tissue to researchers,” it seemed likely that federal funds would be revoked as backlash from the public was noted (Welch). Although the nonprofit organization does offer the termination of unplanned pregnancies, the organization offers many more services to women and men, such as free birth control and yearly health checkups “backed by medical experts and more than 100 years of research in reproductive health” (Planned Parenthood). As many people struggle financially to provide for their families, Planned Parenthood’s services are a relief to those who otherwise would not be able to afford healthcare, which is why the organization should not be defunded.
Since many believe that Planned Parenthood only performs abortions, a frenzy against it has been created. “We don’t want to commit taxpayer funding for abortions, and Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider” (Strickland quoting Paul Ryan, 2017). Republicans rather see federal funding go towards federal community centers. However, to clarify this misconception we need to look at what federal funding is going towards. Planned Parenthood receives its funding from Medicaid reimbursements (Berg, 2017). They do not keep any hidden money, or have money put aside to preform free abortions. As the federal money that comes in goes straight towards helping patients.
Millions of women across America will struggle to receive the medical attention they need if the federal government stops funding to Planned Parenthood. Every year 363 million dollars goes into the funding “pot” collectively at Planned Parenthood’s nationwide (Clark 5). This money is used predominantly by women; for six in ten women, Planned Parenthood acts as their main source of health care (Clark 4). Many individuals with low incomes depend on these clinics to maintain or help better their health. Recently, the federal government is trying to pass the Pence Amendment, which would eliminate funding to these institutions. The federal government needs to realize how important Planned Parenthood
Given the misinformation depicted in the media it is difficult to discern what Planned Parenthood does and exactly how it is that they allocate their funds. Though opponents of Planned Parenthood would have us believe abortions and contraception is what they do, health screenings and prevention is a more accurate description. More so given the array of services they offered and the fact that those they serve are mainly from the uninsured and underrepresented minority population. Though steeped in controversy, Planned Parenthood services are of great benefit to society, more so given their efforts in preventive care. Because
Central Idea: Planned Parenthood is an organization that provides essential health services to both men and women.
Affordable reproductive health care is hard to find for low-income women, and many people feel that without Planned Parenthood women will have no care at all. Another problem according to the article “Planned Parenthood and the Next Generation of Feminist Activists”, the younger generation Americans do not “want to be labeled. They don’t like being singularly defined by their political party, or their sexual orientation, or their views on abortion” (Laguens 188). The younger generation simply do not want to identify as “pro-choice” or
Planned Parenthood has been a topic of discussion for a while now. Do you know what Planned Parenthood does? Is defunding Planned Parenthood the right thing to do? These are some questions that people ask themselves. Most people only believe what they see and hear from the news and the papers. Is all Planned Parenthood about is abortions? The Government and the Trump administration want to defund the program, but why? Let’s get into it and find out.
Another consequence that will have to be dealt with in the event that a bill stripping Planned Parenthood of funding is passed, is the loss of a safe, non-judgmental place for men and women to receive sex-education, birth control, general health care, treatment for STDs, pap smears and breast exams, and refuge and support for those in abusive relationships. All of these services make up 97% percent of what Planned Parenthood does, leaving only three percent of what they do as being abortions. With the help of Planned Parenthood, the rate of teen pregnancy is declining and is a 20-year low, one million people outside the US receive health care they wouldn’t otherwise have access to, the rate of the diagnosis of and death from cervical cancer has
In January 2016, Congress passed a bill to defund Planned Parenthood, a family planning group that runs more than 800 reproductive health clinics across the United States. They wanted to cut Planned Parenthood because they perform abortions. Most people don’t know they only do them for certain situations. If you were raped and the pregnancy is still early they will perform it. If the pregnancy was included in incest they might terminate it due to problems that would be cause in the baby due to alike DNA. In other cases if the pregnancy was harming the mother they might also do it then. That's not all what planned parenthood does though. They also have operations that include prevention pregnancy by distributing birth control and free condoms. They also educate the public about contraception, they reduce the spread of STD’s through education, testing, and treatment. They also screen for cervical and other cancers. Planned Parenthood offers so much but cutting tax funds they wouldn’t be able to offer a lot of those things. More than 5 million men and women world 5 million men and women worldwide use their services
According to Bryce Covert and Mike Konczal’s article, “Born, Not Free,” the government funds constitute about $500 million of the $1.1 billion total Planned Parenthood receives in funding. However, the money coming from the government cannot legally be used towards the administration of abortion, which is the main topic of controversy. Politicians who are in favor of defunding argue that by giving money to the facility whose services are in part constituted by abortion, those funds are essentially being given in support of abortions. On the contrary, though Planned Parenthood has come to be known as a symbol for abortion, abortion constitutes only 3% of the services provided. According to Nancy Gibbs, a managing editor for TIME magazine, the other 97% is made up of “family planning, immunizations and screening for cancer and sexually transmitted diseases” (Gibbs). Due to the funding from the government, Planned Parenthood is able to provide the aforementioned inexpensive yet crucial services to women. $500 million dollars is a small price to pay to ensure the health and wellbeing of half of the population of the United States of America. Also, even though abortion is only a small part Planned Parenthood, a woman is able to have the procedure done safely and without further damage to her physical welfare. To conclude, Planned Parenthood is able to vastly improve women’s overall health through its facilities, like cancer screenings and family planning. However,
In 1921, Margaret Sanger, and Fania Mindell, and Ethel Byrne opened America’s first birth control clinic; they were arrested for distributing “obscene materials” to their clients. Their trial led the United States to change their laws involving sex education and birth control. In 1938, their birth control clinic joined the American Birth Control League, which was renamed Planned Parenthood in 1942 because some found the original name to be offensive. They expanded their health care services in 1952, starting in India, and eventually expanded to Chile, Singapore, Sweden, and many other countries. Planned Parenthood was created “to provide comprehensive reproductive and complementary healthcare; (. . .) advocate public policies; (. . .) provide educational programs that enhance understanding of individual, and social implications of human sexuality; and promote research and advancement in technology in reproductive healthcare” ( ).
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy at any stage that does not result in birth. What a lot of people don’t realize is a miscarriage is also considered an abortion even though it is not medically induced; it is called a spontaneous abortion because it is not a medical procedure. Recently a study was done and it showed that the number of abortions worldwide have gone down considerably because of family planning, having reasonable birth control methods introduced, the prices for them lowered and the availability of them are accessible by the younger generation. More and more we are seeing young women using abortion as a birth control method, this is making the