The House of Representatives recently passed a bill to freeze all funding to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
Planned Parenthood: What is it?
The Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) is a non-profit organization that provides reproductive, maternal and child health services. The organization has helped and saved millions of lives across the nation at little to no cost to its patients. Thanks to government funding, Planned Parenthood delivers vital reproductive health services, sex education, and information to people across the nation. Their healthcare is provided to anyone and everyone that needs it.
Planned Parenthood is also a provider of abortion procedures. Contrary to speculation, Planned Parenthood does not deliver free abortions. Just like any other provider, the patient has to pay a fee for the procedure, which is not covered by the government.
Politicians who are anti-PPFA have ignorantly expressed Planned Parenthood as a infanticide-based organization to which all of their funding goes to giving free abortions.
PPFA is an organization that helps men and women get the healthcare they deserve to protect themselves not only from STDS, but from various reproductive cancers or health issues that would otherwise go undetected.
“[Planned Parenthood] is an amazing organization and I feel safe in the fact that they are there as a safety net for teenagers everywhere,” says senior Matthew Skibniewski.
Why we need it:
Schools in parts of America no longer provide sex ed classes as part of their curriculum. With the shutdown of Planned Parenthood, teens are left stranded without education of the reproductive system. Yes, we have Biology and Health class, but they can only go to a certain extent in their teachings. I did not even know what a sexually transmitted disease looked like or what the symptoms of one were until someone from our local Planned Parenthood clinic came and informed us at school.
According to dosomething.org, “Young people, between the ages of 15 to 24, account for 50% of all new STDs, although they represent just 25% of the sexually experienced population.”
Sex is not always just the birds and the bees. Sex can be viruses and diseases without knowledge of protection and birth control. Teenagers need to know these things!
Most of the arguments the government have used to pursue the defunding of Planned Parenthood is the infamous “They kill babies!” line, and that the organization’s whole business is centered around this. Yes, abortion is the termination of a pregnancy and yes, Planned Parenthood does offer this as an option if you’re pregnant, but how is someone choosing to do something with their body any of your business?
Planned Parenthood prides itself on providing a judgement-free environment and doing everything it can to ensure the health of men and women. The organization has saved millions of people across America. It does not base its entire standings on abortions and neither should you.
Besides our biased religious beliefs, is this really what we as Americans want? Are a few scandals of individual people going to blind us from how much the Planned Parenthood organization helps men, women, and children?
“Shutting down Planned Parenthood is cutting off a vital part of people’s healthcare,” says junior Alexandra Risko.
Back before the Roe vs Wade trial helped to legalize abortion, many women were losing their lives due to complications from illegal, underground abortions.
“When I think of Planned Parenthood, I think of my mom and how she lived on her own for most of her adolescent life and couldn’t afford regular healthcare. I think of them as the reason I’m here and the reason why my mom is still alive today,” says New Jersey resident and student Jesse Stanley.
What is your opinion on the government wanting to defund Planned Parenthood?
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