Why Are There Controversies Around Planned Parenthood?
Planned Parenthood provides many services for individuals, including both males and females alike.
October 14, 2020
Planned Parenthood is an extensive health center that provides affordable access to gynecological and reproductive health care services. They help with providing accurate sexual education from vastly experienced clinicians and certified doctors. Their mission statement is “to provide comprehensive reproductive and complementary health care services in settings which preserve and protect the essential privacy and rights of each individual; to advocate public policies which guarantee these rights and ensure access to such services”
Planned Parenthood health centers also provide primary health care services, including vaccination against influenza, hepatitis, and human papilloma virus, smoking cessation counseling, anemia testing, and screening for cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, and breast cancer, as stated by the American Journal of Public Health.
The history of Planned Parenthood began in 1916, when Planned Parenthood was founded on the idea that women should have the information and care they need to live strong, healthy lives and fulfill their dreams. It originally began as a movement, founded by Margaret Sanger, Ethel Byrne, and Fania Mindell who opened the country’s first birth control clinic in Brownsville, Brooklyn. It seemed to be a success as many women lined up to get birth control information and advice, although it was shut down a couple weeks later since it was illegal to have a birth control clinic during that time period. Today, however, Planned Parenthood is allowed to be up and running, and they operate more than 600 health centers across the United States.
While there are people who agree with the causes of Planned Parenthood and support it, there are individuals who disagree with what Planned Parenthood stands for. Some believe that some of the services Planned Parenthood provides, like abortion are immoral due to their religious beliefs. They also say that Planned Parenthood uses funding from the Federal budget when they receive other large funding from private donors like the Mark Zuckerberg foundation; these individuals think that the federal government should fund other programs or organizations that don’t receive funding from other private donors.
Regardless of which side is correct, women’s health is currently under attack. There are multiple problems in regard to women’s health. It was reported in Harvard Health that “In 1990, about 17 maternal deaths were recorded for every 100,000 pregnant women in the United States. While relatively rare, this number has risen steadily over the last 25 years, indicating a worsening safety problem. In 2015, more than 26 deaths were recorded per 100,000 pregnant women.” In other words, the amount of women that have died in childbirth has increased over the span of 25 years. Moreover, the CDC has stated that sexually transmitted infection numbers have also increased, and Jonathan Mermin, the director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention said, “We are sliding backward. It is evident the systems that identify, treat, and ultimately prevent STDs are strained to near-breaking points.” Planned Parenthood is known for helping women, especially in rural areas with little healthcare. If Planned Parenthood remains under attack, things may continue to get worse.
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