What happens when a widely known healthcare service such as Planned Parenthood loses the capability to provide all their services to the public? In recent news, our President of the United States, President Trump, is attempting to defund Planned Parenthood by tens of millions of dollars. Currently Planned Parenthood is funded by federal Title X which helps ensure that people have access to healthcare regardless of background or income. Title X funds Planned Parenthood millions of dollars each year which indirectly funds their abortion services. During his campaign, President Trump has made it clear that he would support pro-life policies by threatening to withhold Title X funding from Planned Parenthood unless it completely separates services funded through the program from abortion services. This poses a huge problem because, if Planned Parenthood loses its funding, more than four million people will lose access to birth control and reproductive health care services on which they rely.
Planned Parenthood is a nonprofit healthcare organization which provides a wide range of safe, reliable, and affordable healthcare services. Since 1916, Planned Parenthood has expanded its sex education resources and advocacy on behalf of affordable, accessible healthcare. With over 600 health centers, Planned Parenthood is able to offer a wide variety of services to the public including abortion, emergency contraceptives, HIV services, pregnancy testing, men’s healthcare, hormone therapy, and more.
Aside from offering healthcare, Planned Parenthood is unique in that it offers care and education through their different platforms. For example, they have provided women with the ability to monitor their menstrual cycles through an app known as SpotOn. Moreover, Planned Parenthood provides telemedicine services in 16 states which provides people with the chance to schedule video-appointments with a health care provider, and receive prescriptions and testing kits through the mail. This service is a crucial tool for expanding access to care as it increases people’s chances to receive services from their home. Also, their website offers a tremendous amount of educational tools including quizzes, games, and decision-making tools.
In recent years, statistics have shown the tremendous positive impact Planned Parenthood has had. In the 2017-2018 year, Planned Parenthood had 2.4 million patients with 9.7 million services provided to them; specifically, 4,712,985 of the services were for STI testing and treatment, 2,620,867 for birth control information and services, and 570,444 for breast exams and pap tests. With all the services and resources provided by Planned Parenthood, it is evident that they have benefited many people across the country.
It is imperative that the funding provided to Planned Parenthood remains, as many people depend on it to receive services. For Planned Parenthood to maintain their funding, they need to take legal action against President Trump by challenging him through the court system. Furthermore, organizations such as NARAL Pro Choice America should rally support groups and continue to advocate for abortion to remain legal and accessible. As this issue continues to unravel, I, as well as millions of others need to remain positive in hopes to maintain the funding which has helped provide access to healthcare for millions of Americans.
