Florencia i have various friends who directly receive

Florencia KimProfessor Stephanie WilmsEnglish 1B18 January 2018Planned ParenthoodPlanned Parenthood is a non profit organization that provides reproductive health care inthe US and globally which is funded by the government. The first birth control clinic was openedby Margaret Sanger in 1916, she was then the founder of the American Birth Control League in1921. In 1942, the name was changed to Planned Parenthood. Today Planned Parenthoodprovides with one hundred fifty nine medical and non medical affiliates which are located in oversix hundred fifty clinics just in the United States. They are currently partnered with organizationsin twelve countries internationally. Planned Parenthood’s main line of care is to provide peoplewith reproductive health services, sexual education. Contraception is Planned parenthood’s mostused health care service. Since Planned Parenthood is funded by tax money.

some citizensbelieve that they are spending money on a cause that violates their morals-such as abortions andbirth control. Many believe that is should be funded by private donations. President Trumphimself, has stated that because he is “ Pro-Life” therefore he is an advocatefor defunding Planned parenthood. This has been an ongoing battle for many years, however it isa fact that if Planned Parenthood is defunded it would affect millions of US citizens.

Planned Parenthood is an important source to women’s health. Many feminists believethat defunding Planned Parenthood is an attack on women’s rights. If Planned Parenthood wereto be defunded by the government, not only would it be harder for women to get abortions, but itwill diminish numerous access to health care services for women.

Today, Planned Parenthoodprovide “ health services to at least 2. 5 million people, the vast majority of whom live at or below150 percent of the federal poverty line.” (Klasing) Government funds are not used for abortionservices in Planned Parenthood and they only make up three percent of the wide range ofservices they provide. Furthermore, Planned Parenthood gives essential health care for women inrural areas where they are not able to access hospitals, doctors, or clinics. Millions of womenreceive birth control from Planned Parenthood and “ 360, 000 women received breast exams and270, 000 received pap smear tests.” (Klasing) These tests help women detect early signs ofcancer, which increases the patients odds in survival.

Personally, I have gone to PlannedParenthood countless times for my health, and I have various friends who directly receive birthcontrol from Planned Parenthood for free. Planned Parenthood helps women who can not affordhealth care. They give out their own insurance for low income people, and most procedures arefree and easily accessed for them. For example, a women who has a very low income does notwant to get pregnant and is currently sexually active. She can utilize Planned Parenthood toreceive free contraception like Birth Control pills or Plan B pills. Without Planned Parenthood somany women would not be able to afford contraceptions, causing unwanted pregnancies.

Thisorganization caters to help women in so many different ways and women deserve the choice totheir own health care. Moreover, not only does Planned Parenthood provides women’s health care services butthey also provide health care services to any age or gender. Anyone can receive STD screeningsand treatments, immunizations, pediatric care, behavioral-health care, general care, and evenLGBT services. Planned Parenthood also provides ” responsible sex education and familyplanning services for hundreds of thousands of American teenagers every day.” (Feldt) It isimperative that teens are given the proper sex education as they are growing up and PlannedParenthood aids to teens daily. In 2013, “ Planned Parenthood reported seeing 2. 7 million patientsin 4.

6 million clinical visits. Roughly 16% of its clients were teenagers” (wikipedia) PlannedParenthood helps teens with bullying, puberty, relationships, preventing pregnancy and STDs, and more. This organization does more than provide health care. They help young teens withtheir mental health and anything with their own personal life. Men are also able to receive STDtreatments and screening, vasectomy procedures, and erectile dysfunction services. PlannedParenthood also gives men education regarding male birth control and lowering the risk of STDs.

Many people support Planned Parenthood, however there are large groups of people whooppose it and demand the government to stop funding it. The republican party intensely opposesthe government funding Planned Parenthood. Mainly because they believe they should not bepaying taxes to support an organization that contradicts there morals and ideas. In 2011 theorganization “ Americans United for Life released a report pointing to ‘ systemic financialirregularities and other abuses’ apparent in its investigation of over twenty years of PlannedParenthood records.

The report called for a federal investigation claiming Planned Parenthoodmisused more than 300 million per year of tax payer money.” (Watt) House republicans thenlaunched a full blown investigation into Planned Parenthood’s finances, especially at how theorganization was abstaining from keeping government funds to abortion services. Thisinvestigation caused anger from the National Organization for Women and added fuel to the” War on Women”.

Meanwhile, Komen, a major funder of Planned Parenthood hired KarenHandel, an opposer of Planned Parenthood, as the senior vice president of public policy. Twomonths after the federal investigation had begun (Spring), “ Komen’s board voted to eliminatefunding of Planned Parenthood…two weeks later Komen’s president, Elizabeth Thompsoninformed Planned Parenthood of the board’s decision.” (Watts) The public reaction was very big, many people used social media outlets to voice their opinions. Many people were not happy withKomen’s decision, people like the New York Mayor Michael R.

Bloomberg donated 250, 000 toPlanned Parenthood to help continue their care for women’s health. This decision caused a hugecontroversy within the public and to this day the debate has not been settled. Republicans havebeen advocating the defunding of Planned Parenthood for years, now that President Trump hascome into office, a new health care bill has been pushed by the house. Trump has clearly statedthat he is pro-life, therefore wanting to defund Planned Parenthood. A bill was signed by Trumpthat would allow “ states to withhold federal money from organizations that provide abortionservices.” (Merica) Planned Parenthood falls directly under this category.

Furthermore, despite the claims that defunding Planned Parenthood were to cause havoc, there is factual information that shows it will not. Since, 1995 there has been a 20% decline inPlanned Parenthood clinics. If Planned Parenthood were to close the availability of abortions willnot diminish, the “ 1, 058, 490 abortions performed in 2011 were provided by 329 abortion clinics, 510 ‘ other’ clinics, 595 hospitals, and 286 physician’s offices.” There are over two thousandpregnancy care centers in the United States to help women with unplanned pregnancies.

Clearlythere would still be sufficient options for abortion services. Defunding Planned Parenthoodwould enable over half a billion dollars a year that could go to other “ health care serviceproviders, community health centers, primary care physicians, hospitals, and others—thatprovide a broader range of health services than Planned Parenthood ever has.” (Grossu) Womenin poverty would be able to use Medicaid for health care services at these centers. From 2009 to2013, cancer screening, prevention programs, prenatal services, breast exams all dropped by atleast half at Planned Parenthood. (Grossu). Evidently, Planned Parenthood’s health care serviceshas been declining while abortions are increasing every year. Planned Parenthood has been around for over a hundred years, this organization provideshealth care services for all ages and gender. Throughout the years Planned Parenthood has helpedcountless low income citizens with contraceptions, STD screening and treatment, cancerscreenings, sex education, immunizations and more.

Planned Parenthood is believed to be anessential part for women’s healths. Millions of women receive aid from Planned Parenthood peryear with breast exams, pap smears, abortions, birth control, and more. Because of abortionservices that Planned Parenthood provides republicans or conservatives push for the defunding ofPlanned Parenthood. In a Federal Investigation Planned Parenthood was discovered to misusemillions of tax payer money. Furthermore, the current president elect, President Donald Trump, has pushed a bill that allows states to withhold funding to organizations that provide abortionservices—like Planned Parenthood. Furthermore, it has been factually shown that withoutPlanned Parenthood the availability of abortions is still viable. Also there has been a steadydecline of health service from Planned Parenthood since 2009.

This debate on defunding PlannedParenthood has fueled much uproar from the public, and it is clear that if the government were tostop funding Planned Parenthood altogether millions of lives would be affected.