Planned Parenthood has always seemed to have a bad reputation and personally, I have never understood this.
Most people have an opinion or take a stance on the issue of abortion and I can respect people’s opinion because whether you are pro-life or pro-choice is a decision that is up to you and you should not have to defend yourself or be swayed to think or feel a certain way.
But what I do not think is right is saying an entire organization is wrong because of one service they provide. I see how many people they make the connection between the two and why they could assume the organization is bad as a whole, but the fact of the matter is many doctors and clinics other than Planned Parenthood clinics perform abortions every day and abortions are not the only procedure nor the only service Planned Parenthood has available to its patients.
Abortions are only one of the many services provided by the non-profit organization. Some other services include providing information and education about health, providing birth control, HIV and STD testing and treatments, women health services, such as pelvic exams and cancer screenings and general health services care as well. The organization even has services available specifically for men.
Fertility, cancer screenings, and basic health care and checkups are among the list of those. You can even discuss your issues or needs with a health care provider over video chat, making their care and service easily accessible to those who are too busy to make an appointment or do not live near one of the many locations around the country.
This organization receives a bad reputation and has even been threatened to be defunded all because of a procedure that is only a small percentage of what they do. Only 3% of their time and services were focused on abortions, according to a 2013-14 report from the organization. This means the majority of the organization is focused on different parts of women's and mens health.
The 2013-14 report also showed that 42 percent of their time and services went to STI and STD testing and treatments, nine percent of their services went to cancer screening and prevention and another 11 percent went to basic women's health. Over half of their time and services is focused on maintaining their patients' health and preventing any future health issues from occurring.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and I know that many people will never change their minds about their opinion of Planned Parenthood, but why say an entire organization is degrading or unacceptable when the service or part you dislike about it is only a small portion of what the organization is there to do?
