Defunding Planned Parenthood: Big Mistake

ELIAS ALMAREZ-HERRERA
MADELEINE PARAGAS
Staff Writers

For nearly 55 years Planned Parenthood has helped men, women and young adults by providing services such as cancer screenings, breast exams, tests and treatments for sexually transmitted infection, abortion services and sex education classes. Despite that, Republicans have recently planned to defund this organization because Planned Parenthood is believed to be the reason abortion rates have risen. Yet Republicans, and many others, have misjudged the foundation as strictly an abortion center, when in reality it provides a variety of helpful programs that better society.

According to the National Public Radio, Planned Parenthood received $540.6 million in government money grants in 2013. About $400 million of that was spent on abortions, leaving an estimate of $140 million dollars to other services such as STD treatments and cancer test. Due to all the money that is being spent on abortions, Republicans want to defund Planned Parenthood. The Republicans bring up valid questions about the organization’s services but if they took the time to look at the bigger picture, they would see that the answers to their questions are obvious; Planned Parenthood provides programs other than abortion that should be taken into consideration.

Republicans view Planned Parenthood as just an abortion clinic – one that is far too expensive. However, the services  and help Planned Parenthood provides far outweigh how much they cost. Although most of its revenue is made up of money from abortions, this is only apparent because out of the services Planned Parenthood provides, abortions are the most expensive. If the cost were less, the profit would level out with the amount of abortions taking place, making the rates seem lower. More importantly, Planned Parenthood helps teenagers get to know their bodies and informs parents on what to do in certain situations, such as discovering their child is sexually active, their child has HIV/AIDS or their child is pregnant. Overall Planned Parenthood is beneficial because according to Planned Parenthood’s official website, it provides 4.4 million tests for STDs, 3.5 million birth-control services, 1 million pregnancy tests, 500,000 breast exams, 378,000 pap smears and only 327,000 abortions. Unlike what Republicans think, Planned Parenthood is actually doing more to improve our society than to hurt it.

After analyzing the evidence brought forth, it is apparent that defunding Planned Parenthood will have a negative impact in our society. More may go on without knowing they have an STD or breast cancer. Defunding Planned Parenthood is not the way to go.