In recent years, Planned Parenthood has grown to be associated with the practices of abortion and contraception, and therefore has acquired a negative connotation, especially in the Catholic Church. However, Planned Parenthood is more than abortion and contraception and offers a variety of health services for men and women alike.

According to their website, “Planned Parenthood was founded on the revolutionary idea that women should have the information and care they need to live strong, healthy lives and fulfill their dreams — no ceilings, no limits.”

This organization should continue to be government funded because it provides basic medical screenings, education on a variety of topics including STDs, sex and sexuality, gender, relationships, and body image, and offers counseling services for women and even men.

By focusing on the sexual aspects of Planned Parenthood, many people lose sight of the fact that they are helping men and women in need with more than their sexual health. Even though Planned Parenthood supports views that some people disagree with, it is still an important organization in the field of health care.

One important way that Planned Parenthood is beneficial is that they provide basic testing that one would get at a regular doctor’s office for people without healthcare. For example, according to their website, they offer tests for anemia, high cholesterol, diabetes, and thyroid disorders. They also can give physical exams that are required for sports or employment and give expecting mothers prenatal care. They even perform vasectomy and female sterilization procedures.

An integral part of medicine is the ability of the medical community to educate the masses about their bodies and how to protect them. According to cnn.com, Planned Parenthood provides sex education to 1.5 million young people and adults each year. By teaching people about sexual health, especially at a young age, the spread of STDs and accidental pregnancies can be avoided, which is why these education services are important.
Aside from STDs, Planned Parenthood also provides education services on several other important aspects in people’s lives, such as sexuality, gender, relationships, and body image.

Another aspect of Planned Parenthood is counseling services. They offer counseling regarding pregnancy options and post-abortion counseling services that are available to women at a discounted price. These services are important because they give women the necessary mental health care that they need and can help a woman make the right choice under her circumstances in regards to her pregnancy.

Although abortion and contraception are against Church teaching, there are other free health services offered to patrons of Planned Parenthood. According to cnn.com, abortion only makes up 3 percent of the services Planned Parenthood provides, so putting such a focus on those services is a misrepresentation of the organization.

When put into perspective, 3 percent is such small percentage of the many services provided, and many Planned Parenthood clinics don’t even perform these abortion procedures on site, instead giving their patients referrals to other clinics. So overall, when you look at all that Planned Parenthood has done to help women and men, it is a shame that it is overlooked because of abortion and contraception.

Furthermore, Planned Parenthood should continue to be government funded because it provides many services and help men and women get the medical care that they need.

Elizabeth Harmison is a News Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.

I am in favor of any company or organization that strives to serve the needs of women and children. With that being said, however, the reality of Planned Parenthood is that they provide limited services to women and they focus on abortion, which obviously does not benefit the child.

While running for office, President Trump “vowed to defund Planned Parenthood.” Recently, Republicans announced their plans to defund Planned Parenthood as part of the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. According to an article on CNN, “Republicans have tried for years to zero out all federal funding for Planned Parenthood because the group provides abortion services.”

In an undercover investigation conducted by Live Action, 68 Planned Parenthood centers across the U.S. were contacted and asked if they would provide a pregnant woman with an ultrasound to check the health of her baby. In all but three cases, the woman was told that ultrasounds were only provided to women who wished to abort their child and only then to see the age of the fetus.

According to CNN, 323,999 abortions were performed by Planned Parenthood in 2014. During the same period, they provided 17,419 people with prenatal services. These numbers clearly show that the focus of the organization is on abortions and not helping woman get the care they need such as regular check ups and prenatal testing.

Former employees of Planned Parenthood have also revealed that the organization requires its centers to meet quotas for the number of abortions that they perform. According to an article in The Washington Times, centers that consistently met their quota goal were rewarded with pizza parties and paid days off. “Employees were trained to manipulate women into choosing abortion by bringing up the costs associated with raising a family,” one employee said. Another revealed, “I felt more like I was selling abortion sometimes than treating people.”

While federal funds sent to Planned Parenthood cannot be used to directly finance abortions, the funds provide them with money that they can use to cover other services. This money is funding the other services offered, so it indirectly allows Planned Parenthood to finance abortions with other forms of income. If the government did not fund the organization, they would have to allocate all other forms of income to all services, limiting the amount spent on abortions.

Because of this, it is a positive change that the federal funding for Planned Parenthood is being cut since the funding indirectly enables abortions. If the government wishes to help mothers and children get the care they need, it would be better for them to divert funding to community health centers.
Planned Parenthood has also been accused of fraud. According to The Washington Times, “the organization deliberately submitted $6 million in fake Medicaid claims.” This is a clear misuse of taxpayer funds and proves that it is appropriate to cut funding to prevent future abuse.

There are also numerous allegations currently being investigated regarding other questionable and potentially illegal activities that are being conducted by Planned Parenthood. The government should not involve itself in funding an organization that has a high potential for having unethical and illegal business practices.

With many questionable practices, Planned Parenthood should not receive funding from the federal government. The government is moving in a more positive direction by cutting funding.

Taylor Bynion is a Copy Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.