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| http://www.guttmacher.org/ |
Planned Parenthood is a hot button issue in America. I never realized how many people truly hated the organization and what they do for underprivileged women until the recent years. It was in 2010 when the Republican's became the majority in Washington. Campaign promises up the ass focusing on jobs, job bills, creating work for all of those citizens who are out of work.
In the first months in office not one jobs bill came for a vote. On the flip side of things, women's health care was front and center. The focus of the GOP became controlling women or as most of us have dubbed it the "War on Women".
1100 anti-choice ("pro-life") provisions were introduced all over the country, on state and federal levels. American's were out of work, losing their homes, medical care and not able to feed their children, but climbing up into the uterus of every American woman was the #1 priority.
It was around the same time that Planned Parenthood came under attack and the entire community of anti-abortion advocates got their panties in a bunch. They were over-joyed because the
abortion monger known as Planned Parenthood would be defunded on a number of levels. What these advocates who pride themselves in
caring about
life didn't take into consideration was the grown women who would be thrown under the bus.
They also weren't smart enough to know that a Federal law, which has been in place for three
plus decades has prohibited any type of federal funding for abortion services. Their replies, like always remained irrational.
"They lie and use that money for abortions!" Yes, I am sure such a large organization breaks the law so carelessly risking jail time and defunding when they can just use the private donor funds they get.
The real issue was the women who would lose their reproductive health care annually and the amount of deaths it could possibly cause. No, the women aren't going to die overnight. But they will forgo life saving preventive care such as biopsies and pap smears. Procedures all women should have annually, and will not be able to afford without these health centers.
In the year 2008-2009, abortion services accounted for 3% of the annual services Planned Parenthood provided.
THREE PERCENT.
Let me stress that a third time. Three freaking percent. A tiny fraction of the mass amount of services they provide.
The biggest service they provide? Contraception, preventing pregnancy. Condoms, birth control pills, depo provera shots, the nuvaring, IUD's, the list goes on.
PREVENTING PREGNANCY FROM HAPPENING IN THE FIRST PLACE. Which if we are having a logical discussion, is what women who do not wish to have children do. Unfortunately for men and women in our country, there is no form of birth control that is 100% safe, or effective today. We can hope in the upcoming years this kind of technology in medicine will become available.
The second largest services they provide is STD testing and treatment. A complex issue, but one that again is and can be life saving. I am sure I will touch on this as a whole another day.
Then comes one of the most important services - cancer screening and prevention (17%) and other women's health services (10%) which are some of the most important services they provide. Cervical cancer is a growing killer of women, young and old. It runs wild in the underprivileged because they cannot afford screening. Often putting these check ups off in order to feed children, or pay rent. Real life people!
Three percent.
Millions of woman's lives put on the line for three percent. But it wasn't about the three percent. It was about making a radical outdated statement. It was about trying to prove that women are not superior and don't deserve to make their own choices in their health care.
Three percent.
Irrational people side with three percent.
Logical people stand up for the other 97% which saves lives and prevents millions of unwanted pregnancies annually.
