Thursday, May 18, 2017

Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood has always been surrounded by controversy, but, is now more than ever, a hot-button topic.  Both Republicans and Democrats feel strongly about the institution and whether or not it should receive federal funding.  Democrats argue that it offers essential reproductive health care services, especially to underprivileged people while Republicans argue that it goes against pro-life morals by offering abortion services.  Planned Parenthood receives a third of its funding from the federal government and the potential cutting of said funds under the Trump's American Health Care Act would greatly impact the institution and the services it will be able to offer.

Planned Parenthood was founded by Margaret Sanger in 1916.  The organization offers a wide range of services including sex education, contraceptives, abortion, health screenings, STD testing and treatment for both men and women.  The controversy surrounding Planned Parenthood revolves around its abortion services.  Many people don't want their tax dollars going towards an organization that provides abortion services.

Image result for planned parenthoodOnly 3% of Planned Parenthood's services go towards abortion and federal money doesn't go toward that specific service, rather it goes towards the many other services that Planned Parenthood provides.  However, many remain adamant about not wanting their tax dollars going towards an organization that gives abortions, even if their money isn't going directly towards abortion.

GOP members have been trying to find ways to defund Planned Parenthood for a while now.  But, with the recent election of Donald Trump and a Republican House and Senate, these funding cuts could become reality.

The real impact of defunding Planned Parenthood might cut down on abortions, but supporters of the instutition argue that the need for abortions will continue, forcing those who need them to find ways to abort in dangerous ways--basically taking away easy access to the practice.  With cuts to federal funding, affordable reproductive health care will also become much harder to access.

75% of the federal dollars that PP receives is due to Medicaid reimbursement.  But, many GOP members support block granting Medicaid; yet another thing that has a great possibility of becoming real.


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3 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 18, 2017 at 5:47 PM

    This was a very interesting post to read. I really enjoyed how you looked at both sides of the debate, and examined differing opinions about Planned Parenthood. It's not often that people are exposed to an opposing opinion, so it was nice for me to read about it here.

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  2. AnonymousMay 19, 2017 at 5:08 AM

    This post immediately interested me as the topic you wrote about connects to countless individuals all over United States and across the world. I think this brings awareness to the issue of inaccessible resources and the importance of this institution.

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  3. AnonymousMay 19, 2017 at 7:54 AM

    This is an excellent post, and I like how you dissected an issue that has stirred up so much controversy in recent politics. Your clear and insightful post has allowed me to understand more of Planned Parenthood's origins and what it represents in society today. However, I would like to know more about the efforts in which Margaret Sanger strove to establish Planned Parenthood and how it became connected with receiving federal funding. That way readers could have a little bit more background on the issue. For more information, here is a suggested article: https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-heartland/who-we-are/history

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