Defunding Planned Parenthood Analysis

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“I mean I don’t know, I guess it depends on the case” was my way of trying to be diplomatic. I silently cursed my teacher for putting me in this group and for giving us this assignment. The girls were all very nice and I was even friends with a couple of them, but I didn’t think that it mattered anymore. As soon as I hesitated about the conclusion, before I even spoke, they were already thinking I was a murderer, or at least that I supported murder. I saw the way they looked at each other before one of the girls exploded: “I think it is always murder”. That was the end of our discussion and I couldn’t say anymore that they would hear. That was the first time I heard the emotionally charged argument about the right to have an abortion. The …show more content…

The Senate wants to defund Planned Parenthood based on the fact that some of their clinics perform abortions, without the consideration that the clinics perform other medical functions for women. Like in my class discussion, the issue is closed in a few sentences when abortion is the focus. You simply cannot come to a conclusion about the moral issue of abortion because everyone feels differently. But unlike my class discussion, this has to get resolved and it has real life implications. This is not just a class exercise and these are not just a few teenagers with strong opinions. The Senate could affect the lives of millions of women and most of these women aren’t even seeking abortions, the very issue that seems to be at the heart of all …show more content…

These screenings made up 9% of the services at Planned Parenthood between 2012- 2013, along with 34% made up by contraceptive services and 42% made up by STD services (Canal 1). The smallest percentage, 3%, of the services was made up by abortion services. With abortion accounting for so little of the services offered at Planned Parenthood, why is abortion the main focus? Based on the data, defunding Planned Parenthood is going to affect more than women seeking an abortion, it will affect women seeking basic reproductive health care. The bottom line is that Planned Parenthood provides services that improve women’s reproductive health. By defunding Planned Parenthood, the Senate is sending a strong message: their opinions about abortion matter more than women’s reproductive

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