If you’re a person who follows the hot-button social politics in America then you’ve undoubtedly heard about the growing movement to de-fund Planned Parenthood. The move comes primarily, but not exclusively, from hard-liners on the conservative wing of American politics in an attempt to eliminate abortion practices in their states. When one reads about the gruesome details about an abortion, and often what is involved in the procedure, it’s enough to make anyone’s stomach turn. Regardless of your opinion on abortion, most people this writer has seen talking about the issue are painfully misinformed about the services Planned Parenthood provides to people regularly.

Abortions only make up only 3% of the services that Planned Parenthood provides. That’s right, out of 100 people who walk into a Planned Parenthood Clinic, only three go there to get an abortion. To discredit hard-liners further, it is perfectly legal for a woman and her partner to seek an abortion in the United States since the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. That would mean an individual or group that attempts to reduce the access to these services is actually limiting the rights of a woman as determined by the Supreme Court. Again, while nobody enjoys talking about such an unpleasant topic, its unpleasantness does not allow for infringement on a woman’s access to such a procedure.

If only three out of these 100 people are seeking abortions then what else would someone go into Planned Parenthood for? The generalized answer is anything related to personal health. Planned Parenthood provides anyone, both men and women, with contraceptives to practice safe sex and avoid the other 3% of their services. In the event that a woman, and perhaps her partner, come in concerned over what to do with their pregnancy, Planned Parenthood often gets in contact with adoption agencies and similar organizations to dissuade them from such an intense decision. The group also provides treatments for a number of common ailments and STIs that poorer people would not be able to afford. Not only does this greatly improve their quality of health, but it also limits the spread of these diseases among the population.

Unrelated to sex, Planned Parenthood is renowned for the preventative health screenings that they provide to men and women. Common diseases like breast and prostate cancer can be caught early and treated before those individuals become sick and also become a burden on the healthcare system. And these services don’t come with a low-income requirement or sob story, as a taxpayer all of these services are available to you if one need access to them.

As a more personal anecdote to a story full of lists and cold numbers, a friend very close to me confided that they had to go to Planned Parenthood and would not have been able to do as they wished without it. Their family did not support premarital sex and would never allow them to cover the cost of contraception under their plan. The individual wanted to practice sexual activity but had no way to access contraception on her own. This friend felt trapped and terrified until they visited the clinic and was able to acquire the contraceptives they desired after a visit. Planned Parenthood allows men and women to make safe health choices and often provides counselling as well to ease a tense or difficult situation that the individual is already embarrassed or confused about.

It is for all of the reasons above that this writer believes the choice to defund Planned Parenthood would be one of the greatest injustices elected officials can commit against their constituents and their reasoning for doing so is based on misinformed propaganda that is weaved in with religious doctrine. The reasoning for defunding Planned Parenthood in New Hampshire was that taxpayers should not have to fund abortions and that other options should be explored to provide individuals with services similar to what Planned Parenthood provides. The truth is that Planned Parenthood is not actually allowed to use Federal money to finance their abortion services and no other organization can provide services to individuals like Planned Parenthood does. All politicians have achieved is further burdening the healthcare system with people who could have been treated before their conditions became threatening, STIs will spread more quickly, and pregnancies around the country will spike. So while you may not agree with the right of the 3 people going into Planned Parenthood, just remember what you’re taking away from the other 97 people. As an American if you feel like that is something you’re comfortable with then we have far greater problems then a woman’s right to an abortion, we have a moral crisis of monstrous proportions.