For many, Planned Parenthood is a place of refuge. Women go through the front door and are greeted with affordable medical care. They can get prenatal support, treatments for STIs, breast cancer screenings and information on everything from sexual education to pregnancy support.
For others, Planned Parenthood is an institution rooted in a dark place. People view Planned Parenthood as an organization whose sole purpose is to perform abortions. This stance is very popular amongst the pro-life movement which believes that abortions equate to murder. As such, the pro-life movement has become a large part of the Republican platform, which is now moving to withhold federal funding from Planned Parenthood.
When Donald Trump was elected president in November, many of his supporters and a large portion of the Republican leadership called for the defunding of Planned Parenthood. That being said, it is important to note that Planned Parenthood receives absolutely no government funding for abortions that are not due to rape, incest or medical necessity. According to the Planned Parenthood official 2014 and 2015 annual report, Planned Parenthood only receives government reimbursements for Medicaid, Title X and research grants. This pay structure has been in place since 1976 when the House of Representatives passed the Hyde Amendment.
It is also important to note that abortion services are only three percent of what Planned Parenthood does for men, women and children. Planned Parenthood provides services in six categories. The first is “STI/STD Testing & Treatment,” which includes services for STI tests and treatments. Next is “Contraception” which provides several types of contraception for both women and men. “Cancer Screening and Prevention” provides breast exams and cancer screenings to women. “Other Women’s Health Services” helps provide prenatal care to women. “Other Services” is a category dedicated to helping families with practical services, such as providing adoption referrals and treating miscellaneous illnesses. Finally, there is “Abortion Services,” which provides pregnant women the information and services necessary to end their pregnancy before it comes to term.
Further removing federal funding from Planned Parenthood means defunding every other service provided by the organization. It means defunding cancer screenings. It hurts expecting mothers rather than helping them. It also means cutting funding for contraceptives.
Contraceptives, particularly short term contraceptives such as IUDs, condoms and birth control pills, are widely known to reduce unwanted pregnancies and, thus, reduce abortion rates. Furthermore, Planned Parenthood provides sexual education to those in the community. That being said, it is also well known that better, more comprehensive sexual education reduces abortion rates. Defunding these two major services of Planned Parenthood will only serve to increase abortion rates in America.
Defunding Planned Parenthood helps no one. It won’t end abortions. All it will do is hurt the men and women who rely on Planned Parenthood for basic medical needs. It will leave pregnant women without care or information. It will hurt women, children and the communities that rely so heavily on the support that Planned Parenthood provides on a daily basis—it doesn’t help anyone.
So, what’s the point?
