Planned Parenthood under attack

Sometimes when they feel a strong connection and the mood is just right, pro-life folk and fellow conservatives like to come together in a passionate unity against the things that really piss them off. Now with the House of Representatives backing them, it appears this powerful ménage à trois is going full-force toward hitting Planned Parenthood where it really hurts: their federal funding.

For many students and Portlanders alike, Planned Parenthood has served as a helpful and reliable source for over 90 years. It’s nearly inevitable that young people will find the urge to get down, and thankfully, Planned Parenthood has always been there to have their backs. Whether it’s STI screenings, HIV testing, free contraceptives or a good old-fashioned sexual health checkup, the offices of Planned Parenthoods across the nation have kept their doors wide open to those seeking care.

But with how furious certain pro-life groups have become recently in particular, you’d think Planned Parenthood was running down the city streets yelling “Abortions for everyone!”

And it seems that it’s not just the fight to abort all abortions they’re after. They’re also accusing Planned Parenthood of being the culprit to a rise in teen pregnancy, and an increased spread of STIs. In their argument, the organization, which has consistently provided sexual health education about the proper use of contraceptives, is responsible for pregnant teens and flourishing Chlamydia. The Planned Parenthood site itself states that it is “proud of its vital role in providing young people with honest sexuality and relationship information in classrooms and online to help reduce our nation’s alarmingly high rates of teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.”

Pro-life groups such as Stand True have taken it many steps further than that. Their president, Bryan Kemper, applauded those in the House who supported the amendment by agreeing to defund Planned Parenthood. “My parents remember what they were doing the day that John F. Kennedy was shot. I remember what I was doing on the day Ronald Reagan was shot. The pro-life youth of America are going to remember the day the nation’s largest child-killing organization lost its federal funding,” said Kemper on the Stand True website.

No matter what side of the line one falls on, it seems like sure blindness to claim that Planned Parenthood is nothing more than the number-one group for “baby-killers.”

Planned Parenthood doesn’t advise that abortion is a method of birth control. Each Planned Parenthood site has a staff of counselors who are there to help inform patients about the many different options in adopting and parenting as well. They are a resource to help sexually active individuals make informed decisions, not a group promoting that they’ll be a fallback for every teen that gets

knocked up.

Since it is not yet obvious how the bill will be received in the Senate, now is the most important time for action. University students represent some of the highest percentages of people who utilize Planned Parenthood as an alternative when they lack money or insurance coverage for sexual health protection. Without federal funding, Planned Parenthood’s ability to provide comprehensive care will be dramatically altered. If the issue is something important to you, there are many simple ways to show support through signing online petitions. In the end, all the decisions of how one leads their sexual life is up to the individual.

Planned Parenthood shouldn’t be chastised for offering services to those in need. ?