Parenthood Should Have More Government Restrictions

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.

Planned Parenthood is a widely known nonprofit organization. They are the health care provider for millions of people within our nation. When people hear the words Planned Parenthood they automatically assume abortion. Yes, abortion is a service that they offer yet, they deliver much more than that. They deliver and educate us about birth control, cancer, men and women’s sexual health, pregnancy, sexual orientation and offer the Morning-After Pill (emergency contraception) and sexually transmitted disease screenings. Planned Parenthood is a large organization. “Planned Parenthood consists of 159 medical and non-medical affiliates, which operate over 650 health clinics in the United States. It partners with organizations in 12 countries

Congress has sparked a debate as to whether or not the government should continue funding Planned Parenthood. Too many people are uneducated about the many services Planned Parenthood offers to those who would not be able to afford it otherwise. The debate began after a heavily edited video was released accusing Planned Parenthood of selling fetal organs for a profit. The selling of any body part is against federal law. CNN released an article confirming to the public that it was indeed an edited video by inputting the original and comparing it to the altered one. Planned Parenthood does donate tissue, but only for scientific research, and solely acquires reimbursement for the expenses. Planned Parenthood is a nonprofit organization.

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,

“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:

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.

"Planned Parenthood is the nation's largest provider of sexual and reproductive healthcare, providing birth control, pap smears, sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and pregnancy tests to 5 million people each year. It has an annual budget of $800 million, 860 clinics, at least one representative in each state and enough members and staff that its reach into the grassroots is unmatched by any other entity fighting for reproductive freedom and women's equality" (Conniff, 2012).

Birth control, condoms, examinations, intrauterine devices, safe sex advice, discussions about identity, the list seems to go on forever. Everything stated and more is what all sexually active or simply curious individuals should know about and have access to no matter their monetary situations. Planned Parenthood is one place where people have access to all of these. Opposed to popular belief, Planned Parenthood is more than just an abortion clinic. In fact, abortions were not preformed until its legalization in the United States in 1973 (Our Bodies Ourselves). The debate over Planned Parenthood needs to come to an end, and funding must continue in order to ensure the safety of those who choose to be sexually active.

Central Idea: Planned Parenthood is an organization that provides essential health services to both men and women.

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?

Government, a social institution, is being beneficial for Planned Parenthood until and if a new law is passed that will discontinue the funding, then it will become detrimental for people that rely on Planned Parenthood. The functionalism of the government is very complicated. Congress and its members have more power than a president in making

Planned Parenthood supplies countless benefits for the physical health of maturing men and women. For instance, ten percent of their jobs involve performing cancer screenings (Screenings). Without the examinations, a great number of people

Health Services. Planned Parenthood provides their services to women as well as men- it is a resource to be utilized by all. It is a common misconception that PP is for women only. They offer reproductive health care for men, women, and teens. They supply every FDA approved method of reversible birth control. These include natural family planning methods, Norplant, Depo-Provera, Birth control Pill, IUD (intrauterine device), condoms, Diaphragm, and cervical caps. Something that they offer is emergency contraception or the “morning after pill.” It decreases the likelihood of becoming pregnant even after the conception, because it decreases the healthy nature of the uterine wall. It is only effective within seventy-two hours following conception. They also offer walk-in pregnancy testing, options counseling and