Planned Parenthood is more than Abortion

On April 1, the Administration made the decision to withhold funds for Title X family planning programs. This includes Planned Parenthood. Of course, they used diversity, equity, and inclusion as their reason, but it's not fooling anyone. Planned Parenthood has always been on the chopping block for two reasons: 1) they provide safe abortion services, and 2) they provide healthcare services to low-income communities. 

Here's the thing: most conservatives don't know or don't care to know about point number two. All they see is abortion. The fact is, Planned Parenthood provides more than just abortion services; they provide sexual and reproductive healthcare services to patients of all genders, ages, races, sexual orientations, etc. 

By withholding Title X funding, cancer will go undetected, birth control access will be severely reduced, and the STI crisis will worsen. People will suffer.

​Let's further break this down.

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Cancer will go undetected.
Planned Parenthood offers cancer screenings to detect cancer early and facilitate timely treatment. Without these screenings, cancer can spread throughout the body in an incurable state, costing lives that could have otherwise been saved. 

Women will lose their babies.
Planned Parenthood offers pregnancy testing and planning, and prenatal care. Without this support, women will either lose out on the chance of conceiving or miscarry due to improper care. Then, most likely, they will be arrested due to the miscarriage laws being passed.

​STDs will go untreated, including HIV.
Planned Parenthood offers STD testing and treatment as well as HIV services. Without these services, people will die sooner because they can't get or afford treatment.

People won't get the mental help they need.
Planned Parenthood offers mental health services so people can live their best lives.  This includes support for anxiety, depression, unhealthy relationships, and substance use. Without this support,  people won't learn how to cope with their disabilities and develop ways to work through them to live a happier life.

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These are just four services Planned Parenthood provided that will be affected by the removal of government help. These services, which have nothing to do with abortion, allow low-income patients the care they need at a cost that is affordable to them. But why would that be a good thing?