Should Taxpayer Money Go To Planned Parenthood

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.

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.

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,

One of the main reasons for the support of defunding is the fact that the clinics perform abortions. Abortion is legal according to the Supreme Court as of 1973 and should not used a reason to support the defunding of Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood was founded in New York City in 1916 as the first birth control center offered to women. The clinics did not start offering abortions until the 1970s when the Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade that “the constitutional right to privacy also applies to a woman’s decision, in consultation with her doctor, to have an abortion” (Planned Parenthood). Also according to Planned parenthood, the court recognized in Roe v. Wade, not only a woman’s constitutional right to choose, but that the state may prohibit an abortion after a certain point in the pregnancy, except when the mother’s life is in danger. Many states do have laws in place that prohibit abortion after a certain number a weeks, which varies from state-to-state. Using abortion as an excuse for defunding of Planned Parenthood is irrelevant because it is legal according to the Supreme Court of the United

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:

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

Most of Planned Parenthood’s federal funding is from Medicaid reimbursements for preventive care, and some is from Title X. There is no “keep-Planned-Parenthood-running” part of the federal budget. At least 60% of Planned Parenthood patients rely on public health programs like Medicaid and Title X for their preventive and primary care. So, when you hear extreme politicians talking about “defunding” Planned Parenthood, they really mean blocking patients who rely on public health care programs from getting their care at Planned Parenthood centers. (Berg) Blocking health care service to people who cannot afford it, will only make tax payers pay more because then those people go to hospitals and hospitals cannot refuse service especially if it is life threatening so either those people find a way to pay for it or it will come out of people’s pockets anyway.

　　Planned Parenthood is an American company that specializes in health care, more specifically, in contraception and reproductive health.[ Laura Basset, “Indiana Shut Down Its Rural Planned Parenthood Clinics And Got An HIV Outbreak” (March 31st, 2015) ] The health care services are offered to women and men who want to be educated on the information or are not financially able to afford going to hospitals to get care. The fact that Planned Parenthood is so accessible to those who are poor is already giving so much to the public that without government funding, would be nonexistent to those living in poverty. To quote Emily Cadei, “cutting funding to Planned Parenthood is limiting

The planned parenthood and parent crisis centre are America's health care options for everyone, however many people are weary of planned parenthood due to the fact they offer abortion to women who may not be able to have the child due to medical reasons or they can not care for it. People focus on the fact that planned parenthood offers abortion and because of that think it should be de-fund, this health programs provides people who can not give birth or don’t choose to.

Planned Parenthood, from what they have stated, is, “Planned Parenthood is America’s most trusted provider of reproductive health care,” and they (Planned Parenthood) have also stated that, “Our skilled health care professionals are dedicated to offering men, women, and teens high-quality, affordable medical care.” What that basically means is that they offer types of contraception, give abortions, and offer information about Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD’s). What they do can help those that are not ready for children, and give forms of contraception for all sexes, and if need be, give abortions. Because they give abortions, in the United States, they are a very controversial organization to talk

The responsibility and the well care of a child are often decisions people face when they find out about the announcement of pregnancy. Fear of growing up fast and the responsibility of a child are often not something people can handle. For millions of men and women across the country, they turn to Planned parenthood who not only deals with pregnancy but is also are resource in birth control, informative about sexual health, but STD testing, screenings (“Sexual Health Topic”). April 14th of 2017, President Trump has signed a law targeting to defund Planned parenthood ( Davis, Julie Hirschfeld). Planned Parenthood should be continued to be funded by the government as giving the safest service for a citizen's sexual health is critical. Planned parenthood can provide care towards low income backgrounds versus private health care provider. Plan parenthood is the nation's largest provider in teaching of sex education. A person should be able to decide their own decisions towards for what's best to their body, not the government.

Planned Parenthood provides low-cost family-planning services, cancer screenings, and other health care to millions of people every year. Trump would have preferred to shut down the government rather than fund Planned Parenthood. According to the New York Times “Mr. Trump has shown ambivalence about Planned Parenthood, voicing support for its health-related services other than abortion, and his daughter Ivanka has urged him to tread carefully on the issue, concerned about the possible political repercussions of the Republican effort to defund the organization altogether. As a middle ground, Mr. Trump has proposed preserving federal funding for Planned Parenthood if it stops providing abortion services. The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women have both clearly indicated that women’s right to health includes their sexual and reproductive health. This means that States have obligations to respect, protect and fulfill rights related to women’s sexual and reproductive health. “Despite these obligations, violations of women’s sexual and reproductive health rights are frequent.” (OHCRH) The denial of a pregnant woman 's right to make an independent decision regarding abortion violates or poses a threat to a wide range of human rights. What so many people

The whole purpose of Planned Parenthood is to inform the young generation of the dangers of unwanted pregnancies and to educate on safe sex. The effectiveness of Planned Parenthood is fewer abortions and less unwanted pregnancies. According to Michael Spector (2015) “In 1991, sixty-two out of every thousand females between the ages of fifteen and nineteen gave birth to a child. In 2013, the figure was twenty-seven. The birth rate has fallen in every geographic region” (Spector, M. para. 5). Planned Parenthood (2014) also came out and said “Of the 1,400 teenage girls and women who participated, 72 percent chose an IUD or implant. The study found that participants had rates of pregnancy, birth, and abortion that were much lower than the national rates for sexually experienced teens” (Planned Parenthood, para. 2). Since the creation of this program, the unwanted pregnancies and abortions have been on a steady decline showing the effectiveness of the program.

The responsibility and the care of a child are often decisions people face when they find out about the announcement of the pregnancy. Fear of growing up fast and the responsibility of a child are often not something people can handle. For millions of men and women across the country, they turn to Planned Parenthood who not only deals with pregnancy but also is resource in birth control, informative about sexual health but STD testing, screenings (“Sexual Health Topic”). April 14th of 2017, President Trump has signed a law targeting to defund Planned parenthood ( Davis, Julie Hirschfeld). Planned Parenthood should be continued to be funded by the government as giving the safest service for a citizen's sexual health is critical. Planned