Parenthood : A Non Profit Organization That Does A World Of Good?

The “Planned Parenthood Federation of America” is a non profit organization, funded by the Federal Government, in which it provides reproductive/maternal health services among the United States as well as internationally, since 1952. In recent news developments, there have been rumors that Planned Parenthood practices “inhumane” procedures when aborting an unborn baby to harvest their organs and that a law should be passed to stop this. The supporters for Planned Parenthood claim that these claims are unfounded and believe that Planned Parenthood is a wonderful association that helps women and men all around the world. This issue has caused a series of debates that have been going on for years, but Planned Parenthood still lives on.

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.

Many who are against PP want you to believe exactly that and nothing more. The reality of the matter though, is that 0% of money that is being funded by the government is legally allowed to go towards abortions. Every dollar that the government funds towards Planned Parenthood helps men and women pay for HIV/STI testing, different types of birth control, annual exams and screenings for life threatening

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,

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

There are a lot of cultural beliefs and biases that impact the stance that people choose to take regarding defunding Planned Parenthood. The biggest, and most obvious, belief is religion – namely Christianity. As a Christian myself, I tend to feel perplexed when this issue is brought up, because I know what I believe and how I feel, but I feel as though it is not my place, or the government’s, to get involved in this decision. Most Christians believe that abortion is a huge sin, as you are taking the life of a human away. With that, most have the distorted belief that all Planned Parenthood does is abortions, when it is only three percent of what they do, and it is not funded in any way, shape, or form federally, per a law former President Obama put in place (Parenthood 2017).

“Nothing matters.” That quote attributed to Ambrose Bierce may be true in some cases. It may be true to those who do not value the funding of Planned Parenthood. But something does matter. And that is the funding of the healthcare resource Planned Parenthood. Many do not understand the vital role Planned Parenthood plays in the lives of up and coming parents. Planned Parenthood has been operating and serving those in need of care in the United States and overseas for more than 40 years (“Planned Parenthood Global”). Planned Parenthood has vowed in their mission statement:

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.

Over the last one hundred years the program known as planned parenthood has selflessly devoting millions of dollars and countless hours. To providing health care that is not only safe but also affordable. (Lawrence and Ness) The comprehensive health care that planned parenthood provides is, in my opinion extremely beneficial to every single man and woman that has ever happened to be a patient of planned parenthood. Planned parenthood provides an extraordinary amount of benefits that have helped millions of people all around the world. Benefits such as free testing for sexually transmitted. Access to the full range of reproductive and preventive health services for woman and men both. Examinations, vaccinations, and abortion as well as many more. According to the author of Defunding Planned Parenthood Defined “Extreme politicians, led by Vice President Mike Pence and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, want to shut down Planned Parenthood”. If so many benefits are being provided by planned parenthood why is government funding for the program being taken away? Excluding their personal feelings towards abortion. I personally cannot think of any logical conclusion that would lead vice president Mike Pence and human services secretary Tom Price to think shutting down planned parenthood is a good idea by any stretch of the imagination. The services provided by planned parenthood are much too valuable to simply disappear for millions of people. If these services where to

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

Even if you disagree with abortion, it would be more beneficial to women to keep Planned Parenthood going. If someone had an infection you would get rid of it, not shoot the person. I, personally, am against abortion and I don't like that Planned Parenthood is performing them, but I can look past that and see that they are doing ten times more good than whatever the media is saying about them. Like Kristof said, "It's baffling that House Republicans are trying to eliminate a 45-year-old bipartisan initiative that is one of the country's anti-poverty successes - and also perhaps America's most successful anti-abortion initiatives." They provide family planning, often test for H.I.V., cure sexually transmitted infections, and screen for cervical and breast cancer. These are all good things that help women who, in many circumstances, couldn't normally

In the past year Planned Parenthood has been the topic of discussion in the Government and political circuit. A scandalous video came out this past year from an anti-abortion group who recorded employees of Planned Parenthood discussing the selling of fetal tissue to companies. Planned Parenthood has denied those allegations. It has been a heated argument among Democrats and Republicans, to keep, or to defund the organization. The issue was taken to the U.S. House of Representatives to discuss its fate in September of 2015 (Walsh, 2015). The bill did not end up passing, but many are still pushing to completely rid of the organization (Walsh, 2015). So, should the Government defund Planned Parenthood?

Planned Parenthood should not be defunded because more than 2 million people would be without basic healthcare ("What It Really Means to "Defund" Planned Parenthood."). Although skeptics have the concern that Planned Parenthood is just an abortion clinic, they provide far more, including, family planning, contraceptives, STI testing, cancer screenings, and many other basic health services for women, men and youth, especially those below the poverty line.

The tax paying citizens of the United States should know the cost and wasteful spending habits Planned Parenthood is conducted within the agency. Once the citizens become aware of the wasteful spending of millions of dollars, they will be able to take a stance against this agency’s policy. With the knowledge acquired, the citizens will be able to make a fully informed decision when asking their congressman to vote against funding of Planned Parenthood.