Lately there have been a lot of controversies about the funding of Planned Parenthood. Maybe you’ve heard about it and maybe you haven’t, but if you are a woman with a body, this affects YOU.
Planned Parenthood is a health care provider of reproductive health and local in a town near you. Recently, republican candidates in the latest election have been focusing on the funding of Planned Parenthood, hoping to defund it to lower the rate of abortions. Many of the accusations made towards Planned Parenthood by anti-abortionists have been an advantage by republicans to get votes.
The unprofessional and irresponsible actions of the people who want to run America is not the reason why I am writing this open letter to you. I am writing this to you because you are a woman and you should be damn proud. This is your time to stand up for everything women have worked for.
What many people don’t realize is that only 3 percent of the services that Planned Parenthood provides are abortions. That leaves 97 percent to the other services that Planned Parenthood provides daily, NINETY- SEVEN PERCENT, PEOPLE. The patient care provided, breaks down as follows:
- STD testing - 35 percent
- Cancer screening and prevention - 16 percent
- Contraception - 35 percent
- Other women’s health services - 10 percent
- Abortion Services - 3 percent
- Other services - 1 percent
Every single one of these services affects you as a woman in ways you cannot imagine. There is a woman who can’t afford contraception, but wants to practice safe sex. That could be you. There is a woman who found a lump in her breast, but couldn’t get an appointment in her primary care. She goes to Planned Parenthood, turns out it's early cancer. That could be you. There is a woman who has symptoms of a very uncomfortable STD, but is too embarrassed to get tested at her regular doctor. That could be you.There is a woman that is scared to tell her parents she is sexually active and she needs access to condoms. That could be you. Finally, there is a terrified woman who made a poor judgment call and just found out she was pregnant. She’s about to graduate high school with a scholarship to her dream school and isn’t prepared to be a mom just yet. That could be you.
When did it stop being okay to make mistakes? When did it stop being okay to be human? And when did it become someone else’s call (especially a man) to tell you what to do with your body? That is like telling your friend that they can’t have a piece of cake because you decided to go on a diet. Last time I checked, I had rights and freedom of my body. Defunding Planned Parenthood is not going to stop abortions and they will not disappear. And if you don’t believe in abortions or Planned Parenthood that’s cool, I respect you. Now it’s your turn to give me the same respect. I won't tell you how to live your life, so you shouldn’t tell me how to live mine. This is not about pro-abortion or pro-life, this about pro-CHOICE.
Ladies, this is your time to speak up about what people are trying to take away from you because they are on a diet. There isn’t just cake, there’s cookies, and toffee and chocolate covered strawberries available to you and you should be able to take advantage of them. They are there for a reason; don’t let anyone tell you what you can or can’t eat. Or what you can do with your body.
