Many state legislators have decided to pull the plug on Planned Parenthood because of a lack of funding, and some have rejoiced at its fall.
Planned Parenthood supporters back the organization because it provides affordable family planning services to women, and men, who may not be able to afford the same healthcare elsewhere. Those fighting against Planned Parenthood believe shutting down the whole program to prevent women from getting abortions is worth getting rid of the other services they offer.
With the absence of Planned Parenthood, women no longer have access to an entity that provided them the option to get an abortion for an affordable price. But whether you are pro life or pro choice, Planned Parenthood should be funded because the organization does more than provide abortions.
Many argue that state government shouldn’t provide funding for abortion services because you are killing an unborn child if you receive one. Political leaders have managed to make people believe that the sole purpose of Planned Parenthood is to abort unwanted babies, when in reality, only about three percent of the patients they serve receive abortions.
There are many that support Planned Parenthood, but some people may not realize is that Planned Parenthood is a resource for women and men to receive affordable healthcare.
The organization makes it possible for women with no insurance to receive healthcare and services they wouldn’t be able to afford elsewhere. Some of these services include cancer screening and prevention, sexually transmitted infection and sexually transmitted disease testing and treatment, access to contraception, sex education and other women’s health services.
“Planned Parenthood often is the only source of family planning for a large proportion of the women we serve,” a representative of Planned Parenthood said. “Planned Parenthood health centers focus on prevention; 80 percent of our clients receive services to prevent unintended pregnancy.”
According to the Planned Parenthood website, the organization prevents approximately 516,000 unintended pregnancies as well as provides about 500,000 breast exams a year. It also provides almost 4.5 million tests and treatments for STIs and provides educational programs and outreach to 1.5 million young people and adults.
Other nongovernment-funded clinics may offer these services, but what they lack in funding is made up in the prices patients must pay, and that is sometimes more than that patient can afford.
By choosing not to fund Planned Parenthood facilities, the government is not only preventing women from getting abortions but they are also preventing men and women from receiving a slew of necessary medical services.
“There is a whole litany of things on this list that have nothing to do with abortion and simply has to do with women’s health care,” said Rep. Gail McCann Beatty, D-Kansas City, in the St. Louis Post Dispatch.
