Did you know that Planned Parenthood provides all of these services?
House Republicans have proposed a health care plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, and part of it is cutting federal funds from Planned Parenthood. Many people assume that this means that the government is no longer funding abortions, but there is much more to this than that. First of all, only three percent of Planned Parenthood’s health services are abortion services. Only three percent. But beyond that, Planned Parenthood offers a myriad of other health services to women (and men!), and it prides itself on its mission to provide “Care. No matter what.” Planned Parenthood’s health services are easily accessible to low-income women and families due to its assurance that it will provide care regardless of the individual's income.
Here are some of the things that financially struggling women, men, and families will no longer have easy access to if Planned Parenthood is defunded:
Help to prevent pregnancy.
The majority of patients (80% of them!) who go to Planned Parenthood are there for the services that prevent unintended pregnancies. In fact, these services help prevent approximately 579,000 unintended pregnancies in a single year.
Cancer screenings.
Cancer is scary, and early detection through regular exams has the ability to save lives. Planned Parenthood provides hundreds of thousands of Pap tests and breasts exams in a single year. It provides information on testicular cancer, cervical cancer, breast cancer, and ovarian cancer. It is crucial for both men and women to get screened for cancer; this is an absolutely invaluable service that Planned Parenthood provides.
STD tests and treatment.
In some states, you don’t even have to make an appointment at a clinic for an STD test. You can get an STD test kit delivered in the mail, which tests for chlamydia and gonorrhea. Planned Parenthood provides more than 4.2 million tests and treatments for sexually transmitted infections. It also provides information on how to protect against STDs, what specific symptoms are, if there’s a treatment, and how to get the treatment. It’s sort of like reading a health textbook except with real life contexts and obtainable options if you need help.
Well-rounded sex education.
The nation’s largest provider of sex education, Planned Parenthood provides information in classrooms and online to help reduce unintended (teen) pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. Planned Parenthood has educational programs that reach 1.5 million young people a year.
Access to birth control.
Did you know that there are 20 different types of birth control? The Planned Parenthood website provides information on all of them, from abstinence to condoms to pills to emergency contraceptives. Planned Parenthood both writes prescriptions and carries birth control. Easy access to contraceptives results in fewer unintended pregnancies.
UTI and yeast infection testing.
STD tests and UTI tests and yeast infection tests, oh my! In all seriousness though, access to UTI and yeast infection tests and treatments is also important.
Information on healthy life choices.
Accessible even on their website, Planned Parenthood offers information on topics such as body image, deciding when to get pregnant, how to recognize unhealthy relationships, sexual orientation, and gender.
General health care- like diabetes screenings and typical vaccines.
Ever go to the doctor to get a flu shot, a physical examination for school or a job application, and a quick check on whether your blood pressure, cholesterol, and other measurements were in check? Yeah, me too. Planned Parenthood makes routine medical work affordable for those in need.
Planned Parenthood’s services include much more than abortions. It provides birth control, cancer screenings, and general health care. Every person, no matter their income, deserves access to medical treatments. Each and every person’s life has value. Affordable care allows people to live healthier, happier lives, and with the defunding of Planned Parenthood, affordable care for those struggling financially becomes much more difficult to obtain.
Planned Parenthood is much, much more than abortions. One in five American women has chosen Planned Parenthood for health care. It is an invaluable resource to those who need the help.
