Should The Government Defund Planned Parenthood?

Planned Parenthood is an organization that has been around since at least 1921. Recently, it has been in the limelight due to the on-going Presidential debates leading up to the 2016 election. It appears that the Republicans want to take away all federal funding to shut down the clinics where as the democrats believe that the republicans are misguided in their claims.

In Texas (Texas being the first state in America to cancel Medicaid funding), Governor Abbot recently informed Planned Parenthood that the state is cutting off the organization from the state’s Medicaid program stated by Andy Sullivan in the article “Texas Tries To Stitch a Safety Net without Planned Parenthood”, as recently released undercover videos show evidence of violations. Another huge thing they have been under fire for is whether or not they are making a profit off of abortions, if they are making a profit off of abortions the government strongly

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.

Planned Parenthood has been a point of conflict since the day it was opened in 1921. Sanders was under attack for giving women birth control since she was tired of seeing women die from having too many pregnancies that were unwanted to begin with.

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:

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.

This clinic birth Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest nonprofit supplier of reproductive health services to women and men. With more than 100 years old, the organization is at the center of controversial issues in American political arena. "It has come under attack by Republican presidential candidates seeking to revoke the

There have been many attempts on their part to pass anti-abortion legislation through and the most recent effort to defund Planned Parenthood is a response to false allegations surrounding fetal tissue donation. While Planned Parenthood does offer abortion services, the facility provides a wide array of other health services to demographics that are limited in their choice of health care provider. The issue is not that Planned Parenthood should not receive funding from the government; the issue is that republicans want to push their anti-abortion agenda. America has continually emphasized their believe in the separation of church and state. Those that support pulling funding have been using inaccurate information regarding the fetal donations to start a fire behind prolife

A recent problem in the United States is whether or not Planned Parenthood facilities should still receive government funding. Majority of the United States government believes that the funding currently being used for Planned Parenthood should be used elsewhere, while some politicians and Americans believe that Planned Parenthood facilities are essential for affordable sexual health care. Planned Parenthood facilities are unnecessary establishments that should not receive any funding from the United States government.

Leaked videos from Planned Parenthood have caused frenzy among Americans and there have been debates on whether or not to continue funding this organization. These videos reveal Planned Parenthood officials discussing selling fetal tissue for profit. While they are proved to be edited videos, many people are still wary about the whole situation. Joining along with this frenzy is Ruth Marcus, whose article, Defunding Planned Parenthood would actually increase abortions, argues why Planned Parenthood should still be funded. Marcus provides substantial evidence including pathos and logos to support her claim; however, it is her ethos that is questionable. With numerous fallacies plaguing her argument, her ethos is damaged, thus affecting the argument’s

David Daleiden is the founder of Center of Medical Progress, wrote on Facebook that the agents "seized all video footage showing Planned Parenthood's criminal trade in aborted baby parts, in addition to my personal information."

As a young woman who is constantly concerned about her wellbeing, I urge you to oppose the H.R. 354: Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2017. The fight for women’s rights has always been a controversial topic dating back to the 19th century, and the services Planned Parenthood offer are very beneficial for women who want to gain essential information increase their life, labor, and learning opportunities in order to live a stronger lifestyle. According to their website, Planned Parenthood has aided 2.5 million patients to health care and if it is defunded it could affect defenseless communities and their wellbeing. Planned Parenthood should continue to be funded because it provides sex education for teenagers and adults, gives women the ability