After a tumultuous week of political backlash and public upheaval, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation has decided to continue giving financial assistance to Planned Parenthood. However, even though everything seems to have returned to normal, the situation has brought up age-old questions. The most prominent question being whether or not Planned Parenthood should remain open.
Since its establishment in the 1920s, controversy over the organization’s services have long been under debate by conservative and liberal factions.
Described as an evil, inhumane establishment by conservatives and religious sectors, many argue that Planned Parenthood is a damaging influence on our society. Offering services and products such as contraceptives, HIV testing, and STD treatments, it becomes evident how this organization could come off as a potentially negative effect on minors.
For one, it gives the impression that children become sexually active at a young age. Although not Planned Parenthood’s mission, offering condoms, birth control, and the morning-after pill makes teenagers believe that they can indulge in sexual activities without having to worry about getting pregnant or contracting an STD.
In addition, we can’t avoid the fact that Planned Parenthood makes approximately 100 million dollars per year, part of that money being made from abortions. Regardless of what people think, I remain adamant the fact that any organism, whether it be a nano-size molecule at the stage of conception or a developing baby at 8 weeks, is a living being. If people believe that no one should commit murder, then why should we be allowing people to have abortions?
For all we know, an abortion could be killing a future Nobel Prize winner, the bearer of peace for the Middle East or the scientist who will find a cure for cancer.
However, although I strongly believe that people should pursue alternative routes in cases that include unwanted pregnancies (i.e. adoption), I completely understand the “pro-choice” argument. No government should tell people what they can and cannot do with their bodies.
While true that Planned Parenthood plays a role in the termination of life, it may just be that an abortion can be the “best” decision. Children that are born into households where they were never wanted in the first place could end up being the victim of psychological and physical abuse. This environment could in fact raise a monster that could potentially be a threat to our society.
Also, many of us seem to forget that some patients who undergo abortions are victims of rape or incest. In the United States, there is an average of 207,754 victims of sexual assault each year, many of which will end up pregnancies. For cases such as these, women should be given the right to choose whether or not they wish to give birth to a child that was forced upon them.
As for the contraceptives given by Planned Parenthood, they may be indirectly promoting sexual activity, but they are doing so in a safe and responsible manner. They aren’t telling kids to go out and have unprotected sex. They are giving minors the knowledge and resources needed for being safe.
In all honesty, it is far more beneficial to have Planned Parenthood open than it would to have it closed. For one, shutting down an institution that offers STD testing and contraceptives has the potential of increasing the amount of unwanted pregnancies and STDs. Planned Parenthood, aside from offering the previous mentioned services, also gives tests for breast, colon and testicular cancer.
In times like these where job security is not promised, health insurance is no longer the norm, and having difficulty receiving adequate health care is common, can we really afford to lose something this valuable?
