This past week, Republican Speaker Paul Ryan announced that with repealing Obamacare, they will cut key federal funding for Planned Parenthood under President Elect Donald Trump.

The day that the news came out about the Planned Parenthood funding being cut, I saw and heard many comments about how “wonderful” it was and how “America is finally getting somewhere”. When people think about Planned Parenthood, they often think, ‘oh, this place is bad, they offer abortions’. Yes, they do offer abortions. But they also offer other vital services. According to the Planned Parenthood website, “Planned Parenthood is one of the nation's leading providers of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, and the nation's largest provider of sex education.

Planned Parenthood also works with partner organizations worldwide to improve the sexual health and well-being of individuals and families everywhere.” Planned Parenthood also helps to plan a family. Pop Superstar Katy Perry recently shared her story about visiting a Planned Parenthood. Katy said, “I am making a public donation to Planned Parenthood for the teenage me who made several visits to first a clinic in Santa Barbara and then Los Angeles, CA to educate myself on my sexual health, a subject I had little to no information on because of my sheltered upbringing. I had no idea how things worked down there, and had no idea how to make a plan for them. Planned Parenthood educated me on my body and my reproductive health, so that I could focus on my dreams and using my voice until I knew the timing was right for me to make a plan to have a family.

Since then, I have been able to focus wholeheartedly on bringing messages of strength and becoming a voice for others. Without this education, I may have had a different life path. That is just my experience, but I know Planned Parenthood's broader range of services can sometimes be the only medical support low-income families ever see. I know what it's like to need help. I came from a lower- to middle-class family and never grew up with the option of health insurance. I remember having 13 cavities as a teenager, and the best option my parents could come up with was to try and take me to Mexico because we couldn't afford anything in California. I am grateful for and stand in support of Planned Parenthood for giving Katheryn Hudson the knowledge to plan, and for continuing to be a haven for women to learn all options for their future. Now, more than ever, we all need to protect and create safe places for each other. I hope I can help inspire you to make a gift as well, and become a member and an ally.”

An average of 2.5 Million Men and Women visited a Planned Parenthood location last year for quality and affordable health care services. And an estimated one in five women in the U.S. have visited a Planned Parenthood location in their lifetime. In a single year, Planned Parenthood provides more than 270,000 Pap tests, 360,000 breast exams, both critical in detecting cancer. They provide more than 4.2 million tests and treatments for sexually transmitted infections, including more than 650,000 HIV tests. Affiliates of Planned Parenthood also provide educational programs and outreach to 1.5 million young people and adults in a single year. Abortion services from Planned Parenthood only make up a small three percent of what they provide in a year.

If the funding is cut for Planned Parenthood, these health care and educational services are cut for the millions of people that depend on them every day. Regardless of what your views, opinions, and beliefs are, I think that we can all agree that these are services that everyone should have access to.

To call Speaker Ryan and tell him not to cut Planned Parenthood funding:

https://www.istandwithpp.org/call/speaker-ryan

To make a donation, find out more, or find your nearest Planned Parenthood:

https://www.plannedparenthood.org/