Recommended for you

Why Supporting Planned Parenthood Is Necessary

Regardless of your beliefs and morals

Dec 07, 2015

Cal Poly State University San Luis Obispo

Why Supporting Planned Parenthood Is Necessary

Planned Parenthood: a nonprofit organization that does research into and gives advice on contraception, family planning, and reproductive problems.

Above, is the definition of Planned Parenthood, an organization whose local number I have in my contacts. An organization that has greatly helped not only me, but many of my friends throughout high school, and even into college. An organization that has gotten a whole lot of unnecessary backlash recently.

If you haven't been following the news, or you live under a rock, Planned Parenthood has been under attack for many reasons – the most important one being – abortion.

Now, while I respect and understand the opinions of those who are pro-life, what I don't understand is why people who don't share those same views have to suffer.

In times of need, Planned Parenthood has offered me and my friends:

- contraceptives

- STI/STD checks

- Plan B

- Pap smears

- counseling

In the list above, does it state abortion anywhere? No. A fact that seems to get lost in the discussion of defunding Planned Parenthood. But why, as young women, should we care?

For starters, and I'm going to get a bit personal here, so just bear with me, some women simply cannot afford health care.

I am a 20-year-old young woman who comes from a white middle class family. Though I come from a privileged background, my family lives abroad so where does that leave me? It leaves me as a broke 20-year-old woman who does not have health care, and who can't afford health care. Being a mature young adult, means being safe about my sexual health. Since I don't have health care, the only way I can do that is through organizations like Planned Parenthood.

Another reason you should care, think about those who aren't as fortunate as you. Think about the people who don't have comfortable relations with their mothers, those who can't talk to anyone about their reproductive health. Think about the girl who is in an abusive relationship and desperately needs an out. Think about the young man who can't figure out a way to come out to his family. Think about the young girl who was just sexually abused and got pregnant from it.

Planned Parenthood and organizations like such are safe havens for people who have no where else to go – regardless if it's for abortions or not.

It's 2015, almost 2016. Marijuana is starting to become legalized, LBGT communities are more recognized in our society than ever, and yet, here we are discussing women's reproductive rights.

Women, please, let's stand together against this. Regardless of your beliefs, stand up for your best friends, for your sister, for your cousin, your neighbor. Allow those women to have a choice over what they want to do with their bodies - whether it aligns with your views or not. Because guess what, your opinion over what someone does with their body does not matter.

Report this Content

This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.

Health and Wellness

5 Ways To Bring Positivity Into Your Life When All You Want To Do Is Drown In Self-Pity

It seems like life has been serving up more bad than good and in all honesty, the only thing you want to do is crawl under your covers and hide from the rest of the world.

Grand Canyon University

813

5 Ways To Bring Positivity Into Your Life When All You Want To Do Is Drown In Self-Pity

Photo by Kinga Howard on Unsplash

The first two weeks of classes have come to an end and they have been anything BUT easy. It seems like life has been serving up more bad than good and in all honesty, the only thing you want to do is crawl under your covers and hide from the rest of the world.

Although this seems like the best solution, it is also the easy way out. Take it from the girl who took basically a whole week off from her life because she just could not handle everything that was being thrown at her. This caused her to feel extremely lonely and even more stressed out for being behind in classes that JUST began.

Keep Reading...Show less

self-pity

Entertainment

11 Things We Learned From Brooke Davis

"What's more important? What we become or how we become it?"

St. Thomas Aquinas College

431

"She was fiercely independent, Brooke Davis. Brilliant, and beautiful, and brave. In two years she had grown more than anyone I had ever known. Brooke Davis is going to change the world someday, and I'm not sure she even knows it." - Lucas Scott, An Unkindness of Ravens

Brooke Davis of the hit show One Tree Hill was the it girl - she had it all, or so we thought. She started out as a stuck-up, shallow, spoiled, head cheerleader who didn't have her life together. She slept around a lot and loved to party - sounds like your typical high school teenager right? Wrong. B. Davis had so much more to offer. Caring, loyal, and outspoken, she has taught us some valuable lessons throughout the 9 seasons that OTH was on the air:

Keep Reading...Show less

brooke davis

Relationships

11 Signs You Have An Honorary Roommate

Make yourself at home, why don't you?

Appalachian State University

2332

Rachel Zadeits

For some of us, coming to college was the first time we ever had to share a room. It was a big change, but a fun one. As you meet more and more people over the course of your college career, it seems to be a pattern that you will at some point have that one friend that doesn't live with you, but acts like they do. We call those people, "Honorary Roommates" and here are 11 signs you have one in your life.