The Pros And Cons Of Planned Parenthood

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 one of the largest abortion providers in the nation. Trumps say he respects woman and wants to take care of them. His remarks about Planned Parenthood are against I and do not support ending taxpayers funding have Planned Parenthood. “ I am against abortion … and that is a tremendous amount of the work they do said Trump. (Huff Post) Trump believes there is good aspects to this and that it can be considered in only certain situations. “We have to help woman” said trump (Fox News) During the interview in fox new he mentioned how he wants to help woman and try to look also at the positives of Planned Parenthood. This displays that trump might have reconsidered not funding panned parents hood. In another interview with

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.

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

Planned Parenthood is one of the most controversial businesses out there to date. If you were to get a group of ten random people, I would imagine that at least six of them have an opinion related to it, and all of them an opinion on abortion, another highly controversial subject. Why is Planned Parenthood so controversial? Why do so many people want to fight for defunding from the federal government for that entity? Abortions are the biggest reason.

“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.

"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).

There are over 650 Planned Parenthood health centers across the United States, yet not everyone will receive the help they need. Planned Parenthood has been helping women take care of their bodies and take control of their lives since 1916. For so many people, topics like birth control and abortion are taboo and this should not be an acceptable way to live. This world is so new and needs to be a place where women can make decisions about their bodies without concern or judgement from others. Despite all Planned Parenthood does to help not only women, but everyone who walks through their doors, many people wish to shut it down. Defunding Planned Parenthood would do nothing but harm the United States.

Not only has Planned Parenthood lied about the services that they provide, but a number of their own employees have filed lawsuits claiming that Planned Parenthood has cheated the system for their own profit. In 2011, Abby Johnson, the former director of the Planned Parenthood clinic in Bryan, Texas, filed a lawsuit claiming that her affiliate had purposefully sent in approximately $6 million in false claims to Medicaid (Sedlak 15). Similarly, in 2008 a former financial executive of Planned Parenthood in California, P. Victor Gonzalez, filed a lawsuit against Planned Parenthood for overcharging state and federal governments by at least $180 million for birth control pills (Sedlak 15). Planned Parenthood clinics in Texas are currently entangled in a lawsuit that “alleges its involvement in ‘repeated false, fraudulent, and ineligible claims for Medicaid reimbursements’ through the Texas

Who is the man who created a spark and urged many to take a closer look at Planned Parenthood? His name is David Daleiden. “He is an antiabortion activist, and for 2 ½ years, he was an undercover agent in one of the most elaborate exploits in recent political history.” (Altman, 2015). His recording of private meetings with big Planned Parenthood executives and other employees, revealed that the organization provides “aborted fetal tissue to medical researchers.” (Altman, 2015) David’s recordings, however, did not show proof that Planned Parenthood profits from these fetal tissue sales, but it left many people questioning the organizations intentions. (Altman, 2015)

The first argument for supporting Planned Parenthood is that it provides women with other health services and not just birth control or abortion. Without these services, women’s health will decline because many people can afford treatment. “Every year, Planned Parenthood’s doctors and nurses provide more than 3 million women with preventive health care, including nearly one million lifesaving screenings for cervical cancer, 830,000 breast exams, contraception to nearly 2.5 million patients and nearly four million tests and treatments for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. Literally, they are a trusted health care provider to millions of women (Whitman).” The statistic proves that Planned Parenthood does more than prevent unwanted pregnancy but also take on tasks care for women’s health.

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