Parenthood : The Target Population May Be Planned Parenthood Essay

Health care is extremely important, but one form which is overlooked or often not talked about often is sexual healthcare. Did you know these facts? Over 25 million people have died from AIDS since 1981. STDs often cause death, infertility, chronic pain, birth defects, & miscarriages. Everyday 12,000 American teens contract an STD. 1 in 5 Americans have genital herpes. 90% don’t know it and don’t show signs. There are 750,000 teen pregnancies in the U.S. a year (2,000 a day). About 80% of teen fathers don’t stay with the mom. Every 45 seconds someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted. How can we prevent these numbers and statistics? We can with Planned Parenthood.

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.

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

“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 taking the reins in 2006, Cecile Richards has spearheaded Planned Parenthood through difficult times to ensure it has emerged better than before.

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

Five years ago, we learned in Texas what can happen when efforts to defund Planned Parenthood are carried out. The network of health-care providers falls apart and women lose access to essential preventive services. Planned Parenthood is not something that, at first, was affecting Texas government. When Texas decided to focus on the fact that they preform abortions, basically, just ignoring the fact the government started by providing reproductive health care and still do. That’s when Planned Parenthood was forced to fight back, which started to affect Texas government because of their involvement. Years ago, Texas voluntarily gave up $30 million a year in federal funding for women’s health programs, just so it could exclude Planned Parenthood from the roster of approved

The topic I chose to research was the funding of Planned Parenthood, and the services they provide. One of the positions on this topic was to defund Planned Parenthood. The article, by Sarah Torre, "Congress Should End Federal Funding to Planned Parenthood and Redirect It Toward Other Health Care Options" discusses the idea that PP should not receive any government funding to its clinics. A main argument established by Torre is that the flow of federal tax dollars could be redirected to other health providers that do not provide abortions. She specifically proposes that money received from family

A key argument that has been propagated by the opponents of Planned Parenthood’s continued funding and government support is that the money spent on it could be used on other community health facilities. The caseload and the large number of patients make it difficult for community health centers to provide the services efficiently. The situation in Texas presents a good case study for analysis of the effects. The state cut Planned Parenthood out of its family planning networks in 2013. They started excluding Planned Parenthood from its network of clinics where women from low-income communities got STI screening, contraception, and other reproductive health services (Muchmore 2015). The state has a significant focus on abortion restrictions and the decision to defund the Planned Parenthood federation. The other clinics available in the areas argued that they could take care of the workload if Planned Parenthood stopped and they would only have to increase their capacity.

Many want to ban Planned Parenthood because of its federal funding. Regardless, Planned Parenthood is not directly funded by the government. For instance, a client who has health insurance, such as Medicaid or Title X, comes into a Planned Parenthood health office and receives health care. Then, Planned Parenthood and its staff is paid through the insurance used. The insurance id reimbursed by the state's funds. Finally, the state gets its reimbursement by the Federal government. Medicaid and Title X do not get special uses, it is just like any other health care, it reimburse Planned Parenthood’s doctors and nurses for the medical services they provide. The government saves an average of seven dollars for every dollar spent in family planning programs(13). The federal government can choose to so-called ‘defund’ planned parenthood; even though, that does not mean the state has to stop funding it. Tax paying citizens do not like that the federal government funds it because it uses their tax dollars for the

When the name, “Planned Parenthood”, comes into conversation, the first thing to come to one’s mind it simply: abortion. The current controversy is that Planned Parenthood should not be funded by the government because its use of money to the perspective of the public eye. Because the company is so highly associated with abortions, taxpayers bring up the fact that the government should not be funding companies like Planned Parenthood due to their affiliation with the medical fields including abortion. However, Planned Parenthood should continue to receive funding because despite getting government aid, the establishment is so much more.

Generation Action was my first real taste of what the power of Planned Parenthood was outside of a health center. It showed me that not only were there people like me all over the country fighting for the same causes I cared so deeply about but that I could make a difference. It was incredible to lobby at a national level and truly see the depth of response so many of my peers gained.