Category: Planned Parenthood

When a family welcomes a new life, they were excited, but they feel perplexed because they are not only taking care of the new baby, they are also adjusting themselves. Both mental and physical health suffer great changes. When couples experience changes in their roles, they will find that the new demands of the infant are difficult to keep balance with other responsibilities. In this essay, it will be divided into five parts, which are ‘definition’, ‘the impact of new role’, ‘maternal adjustment’, ‘challenges’, and ‘supports’.

Definition

The birth of the first baby – often referred to as the transition to parenthood (TTP) – is both a time of great joy and great stress for new parents (Doss and Rhoades 2017).

The impact of new roles

To Father: since becoming the role of father, life becomes regular. For example, go home on time. Maintain relationship with wife closely, while even satisfy all sorts of physiology demand of the newborn. In social work, the father, as the main source of income in the family, needs to provide a good quality of life for the family. Faced with the increasing financial demands of their families, they will work hard and bear more financial pressure.

To mother: after having a baby, life-cycle gets smaller and narrower. The topic of talking to others is all about the child. Maternal concerns with infant care are always focused on several areas, including feeding, crying, physical care, other people caring for the baby, illness, and behavior (Caetano et al. 2018). These make the mother feel exhausted. If the support system is not enough so that the relationship between husband and wife is easy to strain because the mother of her requirements are too high, but feel that the family cannot help. From the perspective of society, the mother has the social expectation of taking care of her baby, and at the same time, she also has to bear the psychological pressure from grandparents because the parenting styles and the habits are different.

The best way to transition to new roles is communication and understanding each other. Father needs to be considerate and supportive because unpaid work does not mean it is easier. Meanwhile, the mother needs to plan clearly, adjust her schedule appropriately, and provide her own breathing space.

Maternal adjustment

During the postpartum period, the maternal adjustment becomes particularly important, which contains psychological, physical and social adjustment.

Firstly，emotion regulation has significant implications for health because it may influence every aspect of functioning, including mental and physical health, and relationships. Accumulating research suggests that parental psychopathology may have detrimental consequences for parenting, impacting both parents and children (Rutherford et al. 2015).

The resources of the emotion problem are from four main themes. There is a lack of knowledge about postpartum, lack of preparation for the postpartum experience, lack of continuity of care, and disconnect between providers and postpartum mothers (Caetano et al. 2018).

If these lacks are solved, give the mother adequate safety, and then, they are in the best mood

Secondly, it is about physical adjustment. According to the analyzed studies, the following common signs and symptoms were found: tiredness, fatigue, body changes and getting back to the pre-pregnancy shape, the perineum, weight, pain and discomfort, self-esteem, anxiety, and insecurity (Caetano et al. 2018). The physical problem also can lead to mental unhappiness. The mother always notices to prevent hemorrhage and infection and take care of the perineum, breasts, and nipples. At this time, it is a better choice to get the need for specific information about recovery, create a restful environment to relieve the pain, offer practical assistance, education and general check-up.

Thirdly, the mother should need to adjust in the aspects of society. The most common maternal concerns in the transition to parenthood are socioeconomic status, particularly the existence of financial problems and low income, as well as the professional situation, the family, and interpersonal relationships (Caetano et al. 2018). Some mothers get the postpartum depression because of society, and unpaid work they have to do. However, social support and peer support play a key role, which will be described below.

Challenges

When a family has an infant, except the happiness infant brings, there will be challenges. Changes are observed in the routines and relationships. While social workers can give them a hand.

The first challenge is about daily routines. If making a plan of daily life, according to the infant, which can break down the original activities sporadically, the temporal incongruence of the family’s members can make the daily schedule derailment. For example, hunger and sleep-wake patterns of the infant always appear incidentally, and these cannot be predictable and considered into a plan. When a planned daily activity is disrupted or parents cannot finish a task on time due to unforeseen problems, it upsets the balance of the entire daily schedule, and thus, schedule derailment takes place (Goede and Greeff 2016). About parents, working long outside can also more possibly increase the temporal incongruence. When a family has the baby, the family’s time becomes more important. It’s hard to keep the balance between the family and work, and the routines become tight, busy and indiscipline. In the long run, the negative ripple effect on the family’s schedule, and the family member has an irregular daily routine. However, social workers can help new parents find the context-specific factors of the schedule derailment and create some pertinent strategies to avoid the irregularity more deeply.

Another challenge is about the relationship, especially reflects on the extended family involvement. Mothers are often exhausted by the requirements of family and work duties, or they become socially isolated as they intensively focus on childcare (Kaźmierczak and Karasiewicz 2018). Therefore, some adults would live in the home of their family of origin after getting married, even during various phases of their transition to parenthood. When the child moves between the unsynchronized schedules of parents and grandparents it makes it more difficult to implement the couple’s routines consistently. Some couples also complain about the live-in extended family who ‘interfered’, contradicted the instructions they gave to their children (Goede and Greeff 2016). However, although living with parents is beneficial to bring up the baby and reduce the pressure of the mater, meanwhile, the couple loses the freedom and their authority to the child undermine. Maintain a family’s unique life-cycle context is important because it can contribute family’s sustainability. When the involvement of relatives negatively affects parent’s routines, social workers can improve the communication and negotiation skills of first-time parents so that they can effectively establish appropriate boundaries (Goede and Greeff 2016). Appropriate contribution from relatives is conducive to the child but with clearly communicated expectations and restrictions. If notice these boundaries and keep own family’s daily routines, all challenges will be overcome.

Supports

Support is especially important because a support relationship strengthens and maintains the woman’s constructive feelings about the motherland and the fetus. Responsive, sensitive and appropriate social support can have a positive effect and encourage the development of attachment, especially between mother and infant (Lumsden and Holmes 2010).

Support can be divided into three parts: family support, midwives support, and peer support.

Initially, Partner’s sensitive caring and appropriate practical help can improve the sense of emotional well-being and self-confidence on mater, and also can reduce the incidence of postnatal depression. For example, the partners can do some practical support provided, like doing household chores, shopping and generally paying to share some stress from life. Nowadays, there are several national charities and locally focused charities that support families by facilitating social communication between parents as well as offering financial support for travel. Some charities, like BLISS, make available a wide range of literature to parents to better promote them to engage in dialogue and collaboration, aim to facilitate ‘family-centered care’ (Meeks et al. 2010).

Furthermore, Midwife has an important role during the transition of the parenthood. In the aspects of life, midwife educates the family member to keep hand hygiene because generally, hygiene contributes to less infection and improved wound healing (Johnson and Taylor 2016). When the family members want to touch the infant, they also keep hand hygiene because the immunity of the baby is lower than adults and much easy to be infected. Meanwhile, the midwife makes the parents facilitate, such as teaching a loving and safe feeding technique

Additionally, Peer support has some interrelated positive impacts on the emotional wellbeing of mothers. Some women described that the peer support contributes them to reduce their low mood and anxiety by overcoming feelings of isolation, disempowerment and stress, and increasing feelings of self-esteem, and parenting competence (Mcleish and Redshaw 2017). Postpartum visits can improve a mother’s self-esteem, and having someone to talk to improve her emotional and recovering health. The reason is that peer support allows mothers to speak up because they don’t have to worry about the negative would impact on the family members. While the peer listens, it also can reduce psychological pressure. Besides that, some volunteers will help the mother to shop or cook, even looking after the infant for a short time so that the mother can have a rest.

All in all, being a new parent, psychology, society, family, every aspect needs to be adjusted. especially the mother. Mothers endure not only the emotional and physical damage of their children but also social pressure. The transition to parenthood is more about understanding for each other and mother’s adjustment by herself. The family lifestyle changes with the child, while they receive guidance from midwives and support from partners and peers when raising the child. In a sense, becoming a parent is a new start in life.

Reference

1. Doss, B.D. and Rhoades, G.K. (2017) ‘The transition to parenthood: impact on couples’ romantic relationships’, Current Opinion in Psychology, 13, 25-28, available: https://www-sciencedirect-com.proxy.lib.ul.ie/science/article/pii/S2352250X16300276
2. Rutherford, H.J.V., Wallace, N.S., Laurent, H.K. and Mayes, L.C. (2015) ‘Emotion regulation in parenthood’, Developmental Review, 36, 1-14, available: https://www-sciencedirect-com.proxy.lib.ul.ie/science/article/pii/S0273229715000027
3. Caetano, A.B.D.J.R., Mendes, I.M.M.M.D. and Rebelo, Z.D.A.S.A. (2018) ‘Maternal concerns in the postpartum period: an integrative review’, Revista de Enfermagem Referência, 4(17), 149-158, available: https://search.proquest.com/openview/a0d42e02fa3a380d6c476e45901f4cd0/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=2042208.
4. Goede, C.D. and Greeff, A. (2016) ‘Challenges couples face in managing family routines after the transition to parenthood’, Social Work, 52(3), 313-331, available: http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0037-80542016000300001
5. [bookmark: OLE_LINK3][bookmark: OLE_LINK4]Kaźmierczak, M. and Karasiewicz, K. (2018) ‘Making space for a new role—gender differences in identity changes in couples transitioning to parenthood’, Journal of Gender Studies, 28(3), 271-287, available: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09589236.2018.1441015
6. McLeish, J. and Redshaw, M. (2017) ‘Mothers’ accounts of the impact on emotional wellbeing of organized peer support in pregnancy and early parenthood: a qualitative study’, BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 17, 13/January, available: doi: 10.1186/s12884-017-1220-0
7. Lumsden, H. and Holmes, D. (2010) Care of the Newborn by Ten Teachers, London: Hodder Arnold.
8. Meeks, M., Hallsworth, M. and Yeo, H. (2010) Nursing the Neonate, 2nd ed., Chichester: Wiley Blackwell.
9. Johnson, R. and Taylor, W. (2016) Skills for Midwifery Practice, 4th ed., London: Elsevier.

In this paper I will discuss how Planned Parenthood has improve the lives of many women by providing a safety net for women’s health, being economically friendly, and promoting a decrease in the social stigma surrounding abortion.

Safety

Many women are victims of cohesion or abuse, maybe they feel pressure from their husband, their boyfriend, or a member from society to maintain the baby and they do not realize until later that they do not have the option of providing or having a baby. Planned Parenthood (n.d.) According to Lussenhop (2018), there was a woman who was heading down on a road trip with her boyfriend, however they had to make a quick stop at a local drug store in order for her to get a pregnancy test, then came to find out she was pregnant and devastated. She was a full time student and working many jobs to make ends meet. On the other hand, her boyfriend and herself cannot afford to have a child. However, during her road trip she had went to the closest abortion clinic which indeed was Planned Parenthood and she had the right to obtain an abortion. In contrast, if the young woman was not able to connect to a clinic such as Planned Parenthood she would be dommed to do what many other women do which is having a self induced abortion.

The closure of Planned Parenthood will have many women take on an abortion of their own. According to Stephens (2016) “There was an estimated of 119,000 searches of the exact phrase “How to have a miscarriage or self abort, how to get methods of performing an abortion, such as with the coat hanger methods, how to retrieve contraceptives online of aborting oneself”.There are many of ways these women can have a self induced abortion of their own within the usage of sharp objects,physical exertion, and abortifacients which is substances and herbs that goes into the body. Many women are so desperate to end the pregnancy without any help, They may ingest in drinking bleach, taking unhealthy herbal pills,or risking the lives of taking counterfeit abortion pills. Marty (2012) When women do not have access to a safe abortion they make the decision of their own while someone may give them partial advices or bad advices and then they do something incredibly unsafe out of desperation which can lead to death. A pregnancy is desperately beautiful and a desperately scary physical state to be in. These harmful actions can react on a women body and their reproductive system which kills many women.

A women has plenty of reasons to have an abortion. The pregnancy can cause many complications to her health or the fetus the women has no way to survive for birth which includes in having an infection or disease. US Department of Health and Human Services (n.d.) On the other hand, some women are not ready for a child mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually which includes women who has been sexually assaulted, a victim of incest, or teen pregnancy. Caring for a baby after one of these traumatic incident be damaging to a woman mentally and physically state of being.

It is important for women to have access to these sources in order to prevent them from having an unexpected pregnancy. According to Planned Parenthood (n.d.) Planned Parenthood is the nation’s largest provider for sex education, reaching 1.5 million people a year. Planned Parenthood is a great influence for many women because it help women to understand about their sexuality and healthy sexuality such as sexual decision making, pregnancy prevention, STI and HIV/AIDS prevention, healthy relationships, women dating and violence and decision making.

According to Jones & Jerman (2014) seeked an estimated of 11.2 million women between the ages of fourteen and fifty five uses oral contraceptive pills which is about eighteen percent of women. On behalf of the contraceptive pill women uses it for more than one reason. They uses the oral contraceptive pill for dysmenorrhea which is the medical term for cramps and to regulate their menstrual cycle with excessive bleeding which is the medical term of menorrhagia and can lead to many problems such as anemia which is one of the most biggest threat. Jones & Jerman (2014) Furthermore, the oral contraceptive these women receive can also reduce acne and hair growth which is on the upper lips, lower stomach, and back which is all from Planned Parenthood. Jones & Jerman (2014)

Economic Friendly

Moreover, Planned Parenthood has affordable health services which includes having plenty of options for women to seek medical care in which they cannot afford from a physician office due to the cost. Due to financial and economic crisis that some women may be facing Planned Parenthood makes it economic friendly for women. The Affordable Care Act is one of the reasons many women were able to access contraceptives, screenings, and health care services. According to Planned Parenthood (n.d.) more than 55 million women now have birth control without a copay, and helped women save an estimated $1.4 billion on the pill with the Affordable Care. On the other hand, According to Planned Parenthood (n.d.), Planned Parenthood engaged in a Federal Funding Program which is called Title X, if a women does not have health care Planned Parenthood (n.d.) makes it cost effective for women who cannot pay for their health and reproductive services. On contrast, Planned Parenthood (n.d.) helps illegal women by providing charity donation in order for them to pay for their services due to not having health care or insurance by working with payment plans in order for them to receive treatment and services while they are at risk of having financial crisis. Planned Parenthood (n.d.) makes it inexpensive in the long run for women and they are able to be tested on how and why they can and cannot carry out a pregnancy followed by health services they may need.

Decrease in Social Stigma

According to Planned Parenthood (n.d.) there goal is to support and empower women to feel confident and positive about their life. They offer pregnancy options counseling followed by post abortion counseling. Many women need these counseling services due to the stigma surrounding abortion. Society feels that having an abortion is wrong and unacceptable which leads on to a stigma for many women. There are phrases such as “People who have abortions are evil”, or “It is a sin”, and when society accepts these ideas it creates barriers for people who are in need of abortions. Kumar (2013) Another stigma many women have to put up with and face is society will judge a woman for having an abortion. These emotional reasonings needs to be taken in account, at times having an abortion seems like the best choice for many women.

Furthermore, Planned Parenthood (n.d.) takes on active role within their clients lives because they decrease their stress levels within many stigma that is portrayed by society because these women need to talk it out with an unbiased opinion with someone so they can process through all it is that they are feeling. Planned Parenthood (n.d.) is a good support system in place because it is extremely beneficial. Moreover, women who falls under these categories as listed above are in need of counseling. Many of these issues can impact a woman health, mind, and body. To continue, Planned Parenthood benefit many women who are going into for counseling addressing these concerns will gain a great sense of self awareness of who they really are and helping them battle the emotional distress they have in a healthier manner.

In closing, these contraceptives help foremost than the sexual side,whether it is medical or social reasonings a women body is her own to do with what she pleases and what she deems fit. To continue on, taking away the right to oral contraceptive pills and abortion is unfair and risky to many women health. When laws are recorded we have to think about not just the obvious cases but the traumatic cases, we also have to think about when laws can be misused and misinterpreted and they are many cases when a woman does not know she is pregnant until well into her pregnancy which needs be taken into considerations.

Moreover, Maintaining Planned Parenthood relieves many women from stress and the amount of burden and difficulties they have to go through within their bodies and society. At the end, Planned Parenthood offers many options for women to feel secure and confident to make the best decision for their life The women is the vessel carrying this child and until this child is ready to come out of her, it is her body, it is her choice, and there are her rights.

Planned Parenthood, established in 1916, was built on the belief that every woman should have access to the information and reproductive healthcare required to live a healthy life without limitations. In the present day, this non-profit organization is not only a healthcare provider, but also an educator, passionate advocate, and a global partner to similar organizations. Planned Parenthood has existed as an organization in Texas for over 80 years; the first location to open in Texas was the Waco clinic in 1965. These clinics provided a plethora of services, from STI testing to affordable birth control and abortion services.

Pro-choice & Pro-life

One of the most controversial topics including Planned Parenthood is the pro-choice versus pro-life debate. This debate is tied to morality and the parties that represent each side are very passionate about it. A study was done by the “I Side With…” website, their 2018 studies show that 46% (1,261,030 people) of Texan voters are pro-life and 54% (1,481,16 people) of Texan voters are pro-choice. There is a divide between Texans, with pro-choice supporters barely taking the lead by 8% (iSideWith, 2018).

The majority of Republicans are the party in favor of pro-life, they believe that from the minute a baby is conceived he/she has the same rights as the next person. The right to a happy, healthy life, whether hey should be brought into the world should not be the women’s choice. Pro-life supporters believe the government has an obligation to preserve all human life. The aborting of a child inside of the womb would be considered the killing of an innocent child. One of the organizations that is in favor of pro-life is called Texas: Right to Live. It says “Human life is a sacred gift of our Creator, and only He has the power to end human life” (Texas: Right to Life Committee Inc., 2018).

The majority of Democrats, on the other hand, believe that every woman has the right to privacy and the right to choose how she wants planned Parenthood, established in 1916, was built on the belief that every woman should have access to the information and reproductive healthcare required to live a healthy life without limitations. In the present day, this non-profit organization is not only a healthcare provider, but also an educator, passionate advocate, and a global partner to similar organizations. Planned Parenthood has existed as an organization in Texas for over 80 years; the first location to open in Texas was the Waco clinic in 1965. These clinics provided a plethora of services, from STI testing to affordable birth control and abortion services.

Pro-choice & Pro-life

One of the most controversial topics including Planned Parenthood is the pro-choice versus pro-life debate. This debate is tied to morality and the parties that represent each side are very passionate about it. A study was done by the “I Side With…” website, their 2018 studies show that 46% (1,261,030 people) of Texan voters are pro-life and 54% (1,481,16 people) of Texan voters are pro-choice. There is a divide between Texans, with pro-choice supporters barely taking the lead by 8% (iSideWith, 2018).

The majority of Republicans are the party in favor of pro-life, they believe that from the minute a baby is conceived he/she has the same rights as the next person. The right to a happy, healthy life, whether hey should be brought into the world should not be the women’s choice. Pro-life supporters believe the government has an obligation to preserve all human life. The aborting of a child inside of the womb would be considered the killing of an innocent child. One of the organizations that is in favor of pro-life is called Texas: Right to Live. It says “Human life is a sacred gift of our Creator, and only He has the power to end human life” (Texas: Right to Life Committee Inc., 2018).

The majority of Democrats, on the other hand, believe that every woman has the right to privacy and the right to choose how she wants to go about her pregnancy. Pro-choice supporters believe individuals should have “unlimited autonomy with respect to their own reproductive systems” without breaching the autonomy of others (Head, 2018). There are tons of organizations fighting to protect their freedom to choose what to do with their own bodies, one of which is called NARAL- Pro-Choice Texas. This organization not only wants Texans to have access to legal abortion, but also health education, affordable and timely reproductive options, and the right to have their personal decisions kept private. Planned Parenthood stands on this side of the debate.

Abortion

Abortion is defined as the manner in which a pregnancy is terminated safely and legally. According to Planned Parenthood, 30% of women across the United States “will have an abortion by the time they reach 45 years of age.” (Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc., 2018). In Texas alone, the year 2012 brought about 68298 induced abortions, as reported to the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) (Texas Department of State Health Services, 2017). Although abortion accounts for just 3% of the medical services offered by Planned Parenthood, it is by far one of the most controversial political and social subjects amongst not just Texans, but all Americans.

Roe vs. Wade.

The year is 1969. A young Texan woman by the name of Norma McCorvey decides to challenge the law over abortion rights, something unprecedented at this point of American history. At the time, the government of the state of Texas believed abortion should only be legal for the sole purpose of saving a woman’s life. McCorvey had already been through the excruciating mental and physical pain of losing two children but was now in the process of getting ready to birth her first child at the third attempt. She would again have to go through the process of putting up another child because she did not have the freedom to choose whether or not she wanted to go through a pregnancy. McCorvey’s attempt to get an illegal abortion failed and she was forced to turn to two attorneys by the names of Sarah Weddington and Linda Coffee. After speaking with both, Weddington and Coffee, McCorvey decided to file a lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed on McCorvey’s behalf by the two lawyers, Weddington and Coffee, against the district attorney of Dallas County, Henry Wade.

A battle ensued in the Texas district court, the case ended up all the way up in the hands of the United States Supreme Court. After much deliberation, and in front of a nation eager for a decision, the ruling came. 7 versus 2, in favor of the right to choose. This decision legalized the procedure of abortion across the nation, becoming the legendary case of Roe vs. Wade. The court argued the ban against abortion was in conflict with the 14th Amendment – the fundamental right to privacy and prohibiting the infringement of the government upon the basic rights of citizens.

However, the Supreme Court later deemed it necessary to divide pregnancy in order to regulate it: After the start of the third trimester, a woman would not be able to lawfully terminate a pregnancy in order to protect the health of the mother and the baby; the baby, at which point, is able to now survive outside of the womb. (History’s Editors, 2018)

Contraception

In 1935, Margaret Sanger and her colleagues shipped the first box of contraceptives to Texas, to a lady by the name of Katherine Ripley. Sanger filled boxes with just about everything that was available to offer at the time: diaphragms, condoms, and birth control pamphlets.

Four years later, Helen Day rounded up some Waco community leaders to help make contraceptives locally available. This group set up in the basement of Waco City Hall and become known as the Maternal Health Center. Within their first year, they were able to provide about 191 women with diaphragms.

In 1963, the birth control pill made its debut in Texas, changing the lives of thousands of women. They were now given the ability to plan their pregnancies, a simple idea that is taken for granted today but was a revelation at the time. By 1968, there were already seven different varieties of birth control pills to choose from.

Sex Education

Another key pillar to Planned Parenthood is sex education. This service provides students across the country with statistic-based information regarding sex, sexuality, navigating healthy relationships, and allows high-school kids the ability to explore values and beliefs (Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc., 2018). This organization is the largest provider of sex education in the nation; almost half of the country has access to it. While Texas offers sex education, it mainly focuses on an abstinence-based curriculum, ignoring important factual information regarding contraceptive use. This means that students are not being given all the information concerning safe, sex education.

According to a study done by the Texas Freedom Network in 2017, exactly one-quarter of all public schools in Texas offer no sex education, while sixty percent of schools use abstinence-only education programs (Pollock, 2017). The majority of Texans believe that “sex education should be the responsibility of the parents; and if school are to be involved, they should teach abstinence (Muholland, 2018).” This core Texan belief that everyone should wait until after marriage to engage in intimate behavior has had a huge impact on the Texas government, society, and their relationship with sex education. Because of this belief, Texas does not accept any funding for sex education programs that promote anything but celibacy.

STD Testing and Treatments

In 2016, Planned Parenthood’s data showed the most offered service, by 46 percent, was their sexually transmitted disease (STD) testing and treatment branch. By definition, an STD is “any variety of disease or infection that can be transmitted by direct sexual contact (Merriam-Webster, 2018). There were over 2 million STD cases reported nationwide in 2016 alone. Without Planned Parenthood and its benefits, those 2 million people would not get the health care they desperately need.

Struggles

Budget Cuts

According to an article written by Addy Baird, a report for Think Progress, the Texas State Legislature reconstructed funding for family planning programs in 2011. In this, they reduced the state’s planning budget by 67%, a reduction from $111 million to $37.9 million. During the reconstruction, the government weakened the budget by dividing it into a “three-tiered system.” Tier 1 involved public agencies that provide family planning programs. Tier 2 accounted for non-public providers that offer both preventive and primary care in addition to family planning. Tier 3 was the “specialty clinic”, which includes Planned Parenthood. By cutting the budget, a quarter of all family planning clinics in Texas were forced to close its doors, and 50 percent of the remaining staff lost their jobs by the end of 2012 (Baird, 2017).

After the 2011 budget cuts, an emergency campaign called Austin Stands with Planned Parenthood was created. Hundreds of Texans showed their support by making donations in order to keep the health centers open, providing care free of cost to patients. This campaign is one of the many that are a part of the Take Action branch of Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas. This branch is dedicated to spreading the word about Planned Parenthood and most importantly helping protect the rights of the people. It is their mission to find advocates to “promote comprehensive, confidential reproductive healthcare services, access to these services and the right to accurate information about sexual health (Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas Inc., 2018). Campaigns like Austin Stands with Planned Parenthood help draw attention to the subject and spread the word about what Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas is all about.

In 2013, the Texas legislature dismantled the Medicaid Women’s Health Program, prohibiting patients of Planned Parenthood from participating and reaping the benefits offered. Benefits that include birth control, breast cancer screening, HIV testing and counseling, men’s sexual health services, pelvic exams, and many other services.

Budget cuts to Planned Parenthood will have a major effect on families across the nation, especially those in low-income communities. It will lead to an overall increase in unintended pregnancies and higher healthcare costs. The cutting of the budget would also take a toll on Title X and Medicare, as about 60% of Planned Parenthood patients depend on Medicare and Title X for their primary and preventive care.

Medicaid

Medicaid is a joint federal-state program that provides health coverage to low-income people. This program pays the clinic of Planned Parenthood for their reproductive health and preventative care services, which include birth control, cancer screening, and STD testing and treatment. The federal funds cannot be used to cover abortion services (which make up only 3% of the services provided), yet lawmakers are still fighting to end all federal funding to Planned Parenthood.

Title X

Title X of the Public Health Services Act became law in 1970. This law established public funding for both sex education and family planning programs. By Title X became law it allowed Planned Parenthood, along with other reproductive health organizations, the ability to provide sex education services and birth control to more communities. Healthcare centers funded by Title X, such as Planned Parenthood, helped prevent 32,600 unintended pregnancies in Texas alone in 2012.

In 2010, “Texas accounted for $292.7 million in savings produced by Title-X funded services” (National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association, 2015). Cutting out these services would only harm the government and the people, especially of citizens of the lower class. Without the funding, quality family planning services would not be possible for the low-income residents of Texas. According to a 2015 report done by Planned Parenthood, 78 percent of their patients have incomes of 150 or below of the federal poverty level (Planned Parenthood Federation of America, 2015).

Summary

This research paper was about the non-profit organization, Planned Parenthood. It focused on what is it, it’s history and its relationship with the Texas government. It discussed the topics of the pro-choice versus pro-life debate, abortion, the Roe vs. Wade case, contraception, sex education, STD testing and treatment, budget cuts, Medicaid, and Title X.

​The fierce political debate surrounding abortion in the United States boils down to a back-and-forth between politicians on each side of the spectrum, writing bills to support their agenda and subsequently fighting the opposition—this can be said for attempts to both expand and reduce access to the medical procedure. At the heart of the debate is an organization that has made a name for itself by showing no fear in their willingness to get in the ring and fight a few rounds on behalf of access to women’s health care, including abortion, and that is Planned Parenthood. As the largest abortion provider in the United States, it’s not shocking to find them at the epicenter of the conversation, but it might be more surprising to learn how they got there (O’Brien 2019). The first Planned Parenthood opened its doors in 1946—but it wasn’t until we got closer to the passage of Roe v. Wade that the organization started throwing its weight around in the political arena in support of pro-choice movements, and in result, garnered more attention from politicians (Britannica Editorial Staff 2019). But to fully understand their position in the debate, it is necessary to take a closer look, and perhaps not in the place you once thought. Planned Parenthood’s stance has always been apparent, but what’s worth examining is how the opposition took shape over the second half of the 20th century. Abortion’s original opponent was the medical community, and the religious community wasn’t even participating until they sought to continue segregation and needed a political ally. As these communities morphed over time, the stage was slowly set for the abortion debate, and Planned Parenthood’s role came by way of both political action and a desire to help low-income families.

Based on much of what is told through the media present-day, it’s easy to assume that religious leaders were always leading the charge against abortion access—but the original detractors were actually physicians. The American Medical Association worked to outlaw abortion in the late 1800s, as they believed that following fertilization, a new human life would take shape if no one interfered. Additionally, on a moral basis, they felt that taking that “life” was wrong and undermined what was believed to be a woman’s traditional role at the time. There was also a practical concern that midwives, who were willing to offer abortions, would begin to steal patients from physicians (“A Brief History of US Abortion Law, Before and After Roe v Wade” 2019). Their disapproval proved successful, and “by 1880, every state in America had introduced criminal abortion laws (making narrow exceptions when the procedure was needed to save a woman’s life” (“A Brief History of US Abortion Law, Before and After Roe v Wade” 2019). This position held for several decades, until improvements were made in obstetric and gynecological care in the 1930s and 40s, and a faction of doctors began calling for legal reform.

Convinced of the wrongful nature of abortion laws that made the procedure illegal even when women would suffer adverse health consequences by continuing with the pregnancy, some doctors demanded reform. In 1959, the American Law Institute (ALI), a group of legal experts, released a draft proposal that would make abortion legal in cases of fetal abnormality, rape or incest, or when there was a threat to the woman’s health (“A Brief History of US Abortion Law, Before and After Roe v Wade” 2019).

This shift in physicians’ attitudes started to move the needle, and on the state level, the ALI model law was getting passed. Abortion access was expanding, and in 1970, Planned Parenthood started providing them at their New York location (The History & Impact of Planned Parenthood 2019). In the same year, just three years shy of federal legalization through Roe v. Wade, the American Medical Association publicly softened its position and said decisions on abortion should be made between a woman and her doctor (Rovner 2019). And while there was a rogue moment in 1997 when the AMA supported a GOP-backed measure against abortion, they are now ardent supporters who have joined in fighting legal battles for access to the procedure. In 2019, the American Medical Association sued two states for regulations they claim put physicians in a position where they would be forced by law to commit ethical violations (Rovner 2019). Just as the opinions of medical professionals morphed over time, so did those who fight to criminalize the procedure.

​Religious communities were not originally part of the political debate on abortion—some of them even supported the passage of Roe v. Wade. Both before and after the landmark Supreme Court case, the evangelical community refrained from involvement in the political debate on abortion. According to researcher Randall Balmer:

In 1968, for instance, a symposium sponsored by the Christian Medical Society and Christianity Today, the flagship magazine of evangelicalism, refused to characterize abortion as sinful, citing “individual health, family welfare, and social responsibility” as justifications for ending a pregnancy. In 1971, delegates to the Southern Baptist Convention in St. Louis, Missouri, passed a resolution encouraging “Southern Baptists to work for legislation that will allow the possibility of abortion under such conditions as rape, incest, clear evidence of severe fetal deformity, and carefully ascertained evidence of the likelihood of damage to the emotional, mental, and physical health of the mother.” The convention, hardly a redoubt of liberal values, reaffirmed that position in 1974, one year after Roe, and again in 1976 (Balmer 2014).

When Roe v. Wade passed in 1973, W. Barry Garrett of Baptist Press wrote of the ruling, “religious liberty, human equality, and justice are advanced by the Supreme Court abortion decision” (Balmer 2014). These supportive sentiments, of course, are a far cry from what is seen from those same communities today, who have appeared in the news protesting outside of abortion clinics with signs reading “baby killer in hell.” For such a dramatic shift to occur, we must look closer at another complicated and historic human rights debate: segregation.

​Years before Roe v. Wade reached the Supreme Court, judges were deciding on another landmark case—Brown v. Board of Education. In 1954, they ruled in favor of Brown to require all public schools to desegregate. After the ruling, it was a slow-moving process, and states with deeply racist beliefs sought ways around integration. In an attempt to access a loophole within the ruling, private schools began popping up where administrators could once again segregate the student body. But this, too, eventually found its way to the Supreme Court, with Green v. Kennedy in 1970 (and eventually became Green v. Connally when John Connally replaced David Kennedy as Secretary of Treasury). Judges again ruled in favor of desegregation and stripped tax-exempt status from “segregation academies”—Christian schools that were founded in response to Brown v. Board of Education in an attempt to prevent African-American students from attending (Balmer 2014). The IRS took an active role in preventing these types of institutions from skirting their tax-paying duties and began sending out questionnaires to the religious academies asking about their racial policies. This agitated some religious leaders who supported segregation. In a move to defy the Supreme Court, Bob Jones University, a fundamentalist college in South Carolina, refused African-American students’ admittance, arguing that racial segregation was mandated by the Bible. The IRS inquired directly with the university about their segregation practices, and the university made mild attempts to placate them. As Randall Balmer explains:

Following initial inquiries into the school’s racial policies, Bob Jones admitted one African-American, a worker in its radio station, as a part-time student; he dropped out a month later. In 1975, again in an attempt to forestall IRS action, the school admitted blacks to the student body, but, out of fears of miscegenation, refused to admit unmarried African-Americans. The school also stipulated that any students who engaged in interracial dating, or who were even associated with organizations that advocated interracial dating, would be expelled (Balmer 2014).

The IRS was not satisfied, and in January of 1976, they rescinded Bob Jones University’s tax exemption; in that moment, evangelical leaders were galvanized. “As Elmer L. Rumminger, longtime administrator at Bob Jones University, told me in an interview, the IRS actions against his school ‘alerted the Christian school community about what could happen with government interference in the affairs of evangelical institutions. ‘That was really the major issue that got us all involved” (Balmer 2014).

​As evangelicals were stirring, Paul Weyrich, a religious conservative, saw an opening to use a large number of Christians within the Republican Party to create a “formidable voting bloc” to push back on segregation (Balmer 2014). However, as Jaclyn Friedman writes, “they knew that organizing rank-and-file evangelicals to explicitly defend racism would be a harder sell” (Friedman 2017). The opposition movement was a slow build—but during the 1978 Senate races, just five years after Roe v. Wade, abortion was still a hot-button issue and “many Americans—not just Roman Catholics—were beginning to feel uneasy about the spike in legal abortions” (Balmer 2014). Following some organization on behalf of the evangelicals and negotiations with Republican leadership, “a deal was struck: evangelicals would help elect Republicans, and Republicans would become the party that opposed abortion and sexual freedom in a general while, of course, defending the church’s right to be as racist as it wants to be” (Friedman 2017). Simultaneously, the “Stop ERA” campaign was forging ahead with Christian rights leader Phyllis Schlafly at the helm, looking to wipe out the Equal Rights Amendment, which banned sex discrimination. As Amanda Marcotte explains, “By the time Christian conservative leaders like Weyrich and Falwell decided to make abortion a centerpiece issue, Schlafly had done the yeoman’s work of convincing huge numbers of evangelical Christians that feminists were a threat to the very fabric of society. With hostility to women’s equality rising, making the anti-abortion pitch was probably much, much easier” (Marcotte 2014). The stage was set, and the attack on abortion was underway.

​In this complicated web of history and politics, where does Planned Parenthood fit in as the modern-day target? Just as the opposition’s buildup was slow, so was Planned Parenthood’s recognition as a both an accessible abortion provider and a force against the Religious Right. They first jumped into the political arena when acting as a plaintiff in Griswold v. the State of Connecticut in 1965, where the Supreme Court ruled to allow married couples access to contraception (Britannica Editorial Staff 2019). They also joined the grassroots movement to legalize abortion, which led to the historic ruling in Roe v. Wade in 1973. Then, in 1992, they sued then-governor of Pennsylvania Robert Casey over his newly-enacted abortion statutes—and they won. In that ruling, the Supreme Court upheld Roe v. Wade and prevented states from restricting a woman’s access to abortion within her first trimester (Britannica Editorial Staff 2019). As their recognition within the abortion debate grew, they simultaneously became a target for anti-abortion protestors. According to the National Abortion Federation, there were 6,550 violent incidents against abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, between 1977 and 2012 (Kohut 2015). It’s also worth noting that, with the help of Title X funding, Planned Parenthood provided affordable healthcare options to people with low income or no health insurance. According to a 2017 study by Kaiser Family Foundation, the racial groups with the highest rates of poverty in the United States are black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native (“Poverty Rate by Race/Ethnicity” 2017). Given the racist roots of the Religious Right movement, it fractures the abortion debate into potentially new ways of understanding why, just this month, the Trump administration moved to once again “defund” Planned Parenthood—ultimately removing their ability to use federal funding to provide cancer and STI screenings, birth control, breast exams, and more, to low-income women. While Planned Parenthood is publicly fighting this battle, it may just be a pawn for those who are looking to win the war.

Since its inception, Planned Parenthood has always stood by its mission of “Providing comprehensive reproductive and complementary health care services in settings which preserve and protect the essential privacy and rights of each individual” (What is Planned Parenthood’s Mission Statement, 2019). On Planned Parenthood’s visitor website exists a multitude of positions the nonprofit has available to those who share the same values as the organization, and who want to be a part of its movement to advance technology, education, understanding, and research of human sexuality and all that follows it. The job postings include positions in Planned Parenthood’s medical services department, operations department, finance department, and several other necessary divisions that all work together for the success of the nonprofit organization.

Chief Medical Officer

• Location: The position of Chief Medical Officer is offered in New York, New York at Planned Parenthood’s sister location, just 2.8 miles east by way of the Upper Bridge Roadway from the original clinic in Brooklyn, New York.
• Job Summary: As part of Planned Parenthood’s Health Care team, in the Medical Services department, there is available the role of Chief Medical Officer. It is the responsibility of a CMO to maintain quality in all federations and ensure that updated, safe, and reliable medical standards are being practiced for the well-being of all patients and employees (Planned Parenthood – Chief Medical Officer, 2019). CMOS are responsible for educating themselves on new medical developments by staying up-to-date on new practices and procedures so that they can improve the overall direction of Planned Parenthood’s healthcare clinics.
• General Duties & Responsibilities: Because the Chief Medical Officer is responsible for the clinical direction of Planned Parenthood centers, they need to be able to work collaboratively with the PPFA President/CEO, EVP (Employee Value Proposition), and senior leadership of HCD (Human-centered design) on developing strategies to help the overall mission of Planned Parenthood (Planned Parenthood – Chief Medical Officer, 2019). This full-time position gathers information by traveling to different clinics, observing the clinic standards and staff, and providing input, guidance, and feedback for the betterment of each location. Chief Medical Officers also collaborate with different clinic staff and review suggested strategies, invite constructive discussions for improvement, and provide their own clinical perspective so that employees can implement positive change. Chief Medical Officers are tasked with developing strategies and policies that ensure Planned Parenthood meets its goals while maintaining appropriate medical, ethical, and health-conscious quality of care (Planned Parenthood – Chief Medical Officer, 2019).
• Supervision Given or Received: As a role of authority and quality control, Chief Medical Officers are executives who collaborate with other positions to develop the nonprofit into an even stronger organization (Top Executives: Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2019). CMOS strategically collaborates with efforts across the national office to advance the health of those seeking Planned Parenthood services and improve public health outcomes. They provide leadership to PPFA medical services programs and coordinate with other teams within Planned Parenthood to provide patient-centered care across the nation to advance the population’s health status (Planned Parenthood – Chief Medical Officer, 2019).
• Working Conditions: Planned Parenthood is set in a clinical environment that claims to be built on the foundation of, “Collaboration, open communication, and mutual respect” (Search Opportunities, 2019). In a Glassdoor review posted by former Planned Parenthood employee, Leana Wen, her specific clinic (which is undisclosed) was “fun” and she enjoyed helping patients learn about reproductive health care (Planned Parenthood ‘work environment’ Reviews, 2019). However, Wen goes on to explain her primary grievance was the pay. She stated that the pay was dispropriated from the top of the company in contrast to clinic employees.
• Hazards: Hazards of being a CMO could include being exposed to unsanitary clinic conditions, unsafe medical practices within individual clinics, unethical clinic practices, being exposed to hostile or unreasonable patients or staff, and subjecting oneself to the risk of injury or illness during travels to different clinics.
• Qualifications: To fill this position, applicants must be board-certified physicians, OB/GYN, or have other primary care or public health specialties with 10 or more years of experience (Planned Parenthood – Chief Medical Officer, 2019). To be considered, applicants must have experience in a progressive leadership role that had to do with varying policies, different types of management, and supervision. This position requires applicants to actively seek up-to-date medical information, and demonstrate their understanding of what the power of authority has the capability to change.

Manager, Education Leadership

• Location: This position is offered in New York, New York at Planned Parenthood’s Margaret Sanger Health Center.
• Job Summary: Managers of Education Leadership are responsible for collaborating with different department’s evaluation and training managers to “Identify, curate, develop, and co-create various resources for affiliate education programs” (Planned Parenthood – Manager, Education Leadership, 2019). Guided by organizational standards as well as tried and true practices, training, toolkits, webinars, and more, this position is tasked with innovation and growth within the education infrastructure of Planned Parenthood to expand opportunities for those who want to be involved in the organization, those who are already involved in the organization, or those who seek its services.
• General Duties & Responsibilities: According to Planned Parenthood’s job listing, the duties and responsibilities of a Manager of Education Leadership include researching, developing, maintaining, and sharing information as well as educational tools and resources throughout the federation. A Manager of Education Leadership is responsible for updating and developing educational standards for sexual and reproductive health care, as well as working to develop a Planned Parenthood Educator Certification program, which has the goal of training associates to spread knowledge Planned Parenthood has to offer (Planned Parenthood – Manager, Education Leadership, 2019). An Education Manager is expected to collaborate with external sources, partners, and field experts to collect feedback and review or investigate any potential or already existing education tools, information, and resources. Partners and external sources include, but are not limited to, the more than 120 organizations across Africa and Latin America that partner with Planned Parenthood’s domestic organizations to increase access to sexual and reproductive health care and education. Collaboration with field experts could be with a Chief Medical Officer who is equally responsible for discovering new information and unique ways to optimally share it with the public.
• Supervision Given or Received: As a manager, the Education Leader reports to the Director of Education Leadership and Policy (Planned Parenthood – Manager, Education Leadership, 2019). In addition to the responsibilities and duties requested of a Manager of Education Leadership, managers are also expected to be ready to receive additional projects assigned by their supervisor.
• Working Conditions: In a Glassdoor post by an anonymous former Planned Parenthood employee, they stated that the clinic sees a lot of patients during the day and the environment can be fast-paced and overwhelming (“Planned Parenthood ‘work environment’ Reviews, 2019). The same former employee goes on to say that Planned Parenthood’s mission and impact are meaningful and needed and that the organization truly cares about its employees, offering a substantial amount of time off and benefits.
• Hazards: A hazard of being a Manager of Education Leadership could be the accidental spread of misinformation to the public, or unknowingly using unreliable or inappropriate platforms to spread information. According to Planned Parenthood, the position of Education Manager could require the manager to travel up to 25% of the year, which subjects the applicant to the risk of injury or illness during travels to different clinics.
• Qualifications: Applicants must have five or more years of experience in the sex education field, including curriculum development, training, and/or implementation (Planned Parenthood – Manager, Education Leadership, 2019). Applicants must be able to effectively practice and teach sex education and have the motivation to innovate and experiment with effective sex education. Supplementally, it helps if applicants are detail oriented and are well versed, and comfortable with collaborative work.

I currently work for a non-profit organization, which is Planned Parenthood, they are the most trusted reproductive health care provider across the country. Planned Parenthood is a non-profit organization that provides reproductive health care for those that are insured or uninsured at a low affordable cost. They provide reproductive health care to men, women and young people (Our Services, n.d.). The services that are provided are STI testing, infection check, contraception, wellness exams, education and much more (Our Services, n.d.). In the health care industry, the influence in buying new laptops is the patients care and being able to store their medical records in electronic health records, which is a federal mandate for all healthcare providers across the country.

When it comes to the buying center there are five different purchase decisions for the product that is purchased. These decisions are based on the users, influencers, buyers, deciders, and gatekeeper (Pride & Ferrell, 2017). Users are who use the product, for example for our health care assists they use the laptops to room and input information in our management system about the patient before the clinician see the patient. The clinician uses the laptop to input the visit information in and what they discuss during their visit. The clinician also orders labs and medication through the laptop and can also print prescriptions if it is something that we are unable to send electronically to the pharmacy. The clinician also gets lab results sent through our system to be able to see what the patient’s test results are from our lab we use for serving our tests. This is how the users decide what is best to get for the on-job requirements for caring for our patients. Influencers would be informatics and IT department personnel. These two departments would have the highest influence on what computer or what is needed for the organization. These two departments are who are involved when new and advanced technology is needed for the organization (Pride & Ferrell, 2017). They will also help the buyer when it comes to getting the correct equipment needed for each department. There are different laptops that departments need to complete their jobs, for example managers will more than likely need a laptop with the 9 key on the keyboard panel. On the other hand, a healthcare assistant would not need those keys because they are not crunching numbers to show the performance of their teams. Buyers would be the senior leadership, for example at Planned Parenthood this would be our Vice President of Health services. She would be the person to approve the purchase along with our finance department, which would be the Vice President of Finance. The VP of Health Services and the VP of Finance would work in collaboration to determine what would provide the return on investment when it comes to the purchase of new laptops and which ones need to be replaced before the others. The finance department is where they would be able to tell the VP of Health Services which computers would need to continue in circulation and being used in the health centers and those that are needing to be depreciated and new ones purchased. The deciders come into collaboration with IT, VP of Health Services and VP of Finance. These three department heads would need to be the ones to decide which laptops to purchase for what departments. The reason for their collaboration would be so they are able to meet the needs of each department that needs new laptops. IT department would be the gatekeepers, because they are who controls the information and the technology for the organization within different roles of the organization (Pride & Ferrell, 2017).

The other influential pieces of the decision process are environmental, organizational, interpersonal and individual (Pride & Ferrell, 2017). First, they recognize there is a problem or a need for the department (Pride & Ferrell, 2017). They come together to decide on a product that would be used to solve the problem or need for the department (Pride & Ferrell, 2017). Then they would need to find a supplier that would be best for the purchase of the laptops (Pride & Ferrell, 2017). Then they would order the laptops from the supplier of the organizations choice and then evaluate the supplier’s performance with product and service (Pride & Ferrell, 2017). The environmental decision making is influenced by competitors, economic factors, political factors, regulatory factors, technology changes and many more (Pride & Ferrell, 2017). The organizational factors are the organization’s objectives, buying policies, and sociocultural issues (Pride & Ferrell, 2017). When it comes to interpersonal factors are the relationship with those in the buying center and this is to satisfy all parties involved (Pride & Ferrell, 2017). The individual factors are educational levels, tenure and position within the organization (Pride & Ferrell, 2017). The reason for them having a higher influence is their time at the organization and knowing the job role and requirements (Pride & Ferrell, 2017).

The reason for these job titles selected for these various areas are because they are the most influential areas of each department. Example the VP of Health Services is going to be getting all his or her information from the person within the current job role that needs the laptop, or they are seeing how things are functioning when observing those areas of need. The person that the salesperson should focus on when making a sale is going to be the VP of Health Services because she is the one that has the final say on what we are purchasing for the organization and per department. The buying process differs per organization because each organization uses different areas of who handles the operations and sales for the organization. Some organizations might use the VP as their go to purchase the business operations person is who handles all the things that are needed to make sure the organization operates and has all the tools needed to run smoothly. It just depends on the structure of the organization, but at the end of the day there is always someone they have in charge to handle getting what the organization needs to move into the future.

References

1. Our Services. (n.d.). Retrieved from Planned Parenthood: https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-greater-ohio/our-patients/our-services
2. Pride, W. M., & Ferrell, O. (2017). Foundations of Marketing Seventh Edition. Boston: Cengage Learning .

Introduction

Planned Parenthood was founded on the idea “that women should have the information and care they need to live strong, healthy lives and fulfill their dreams – no ceilings, no limits”, thanks to Margaret Sanger (Parenthood P., n.d.-b, para.1). After the death of her mother, Sanger began her interest and studies of birth control, something that had been illegal in the United States at the time. On October 16, 1916 in Brownsville, Brooklyn, Sanger along with two other women, Ethel Byrne and Fania Mindell, opened the first-ever birth control clinic within the U.S. (Parenthood P., n.d.-b). Seven years later Sanger would then open the Birth Control Clinical Research Bureau and the American Birth Control League, eventually merging into the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, INC or otherwise known as PPFA. Since then Planned Parenthood has been responsible for several advancements in women and reproductive health, including research that leads to the adoption of birth control within the U.S., that soon “changed the lives of women and families across the U.S. and around the world” (Parenthood P., n.d.-b, para.14).

In 1966, the website for Planned Parenthood was officially launched, which today is responsible for 76 million people to be able to reach the organization. With the Obama administration passing the Affordable Care Act and enforcing health insurances to cover STD testing and other preventative care services, this made it possible for American citizens to have access to the much needed sexual health services and knowledge. Today, Planned Parenthood has reached millions of Americans and strives to keep the public educated on sexual health and have accessibility to sexual health services. Our mission here at Planned Parenthood is “to provide comprehensive reproductive and complementary health care services in settings which preserve and protect the essential privacy and rights of each individual, to advocate public policies which guarantee these rights and ensure access to such services, to provide educational programs which enhance understanding of individual and societal implications of human sexuality, and to promote research and the advancement of technology in reproductive health care and encourage understanding of their inherent bioethical, behavioral, and social implications” (Parenthood P, 2020, para.1).

Although Planned Parenthood strives to educate Americans about the importance of safe sex and inform them about sexual health issues, they offer many more services and programs. They offer a wide variety of preventative care options including HIV testing as well as STD/STI testing, treatment and vaccines (HPV). For women who would like a contraceptive option, they have several different options available and if they are not able to provide what they are looking for then they can advise them in the correct direction. They also provide pregnancy testing, and services, as well as men’s sexual health. LGBTQ is also another area of health that they are proud to cover. One large campaign that they are proud to participate in is the Get Yourself Tested (GYT) Campaign that many organizations accompany. This campaign focuses on getting community members to not be ashamed, put their bodies first, and get tested for STIs and HIV. For the past five years in “… April, each organization builds awareness through education; the encouragement of open communication between individuals and their partners, health care providers, and parents; and testing and treatment” (Parenthood P., n.d.-a, para.3).

Planned Parenthood is very broad with their target population. They are a come one, come all type of organization. Although, with that said, they are incredibly successful at helping each section of the population they serve. In this case, the target population is teenagers or individuals between the ages of 15-19. Planned Parenthood has many services specifically for teenagers and they even have their own web page advertising this (Parenthood P., n.d.-c). Planned Parenthood is also extremely successful in their guidance and aid with teens and in all of their efforts in general. This is obvious considering that, “Planned Parenthood Federation of America is the nation’s leading sexual and reproductive healthcare provider, and the nation’s largest provider of sex education” (Parenthood, P., n.d.-d, para.1). Any situation that an individual brings into Planned Parenthood they are sure to be able to get the job done.

Problem Statement

According to the World Health Organization (2019), “[l]ow- and middle-income countries rely on identifying consistent, easily recognizable signs and symptoms to guide treatment, without the use of laboratory tests” (para. 6). There are more than one million STIs contracted every day (World Health Organization, 2019). It is estimated that about half of the new cases involving STDs or STIs are reported by women ages 15-24 which is one in four sexually active females (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2019). Furthermore, the CDC stated that young females are at higher risk due to behavior, social, and cultural reasons (2019). Per Healthy People (2020a), the goal for sexually transmitted infections is to “[p]romote healthy sexual behaviors, strengthen community capacity, and increase access to quality services to prevent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and their complications” (para.1).

According to CDC in 2017, the United States reported a total of 1,127,651 female cases of Chlamydia trachomatis (687.4 cases per 100,000), 141.8 cases per 100,000 females of Gonorrhea, and 2.3 cases per 100,000 females of primary and secondary (P&S) Syphilis (CDC, 2017). In Texas Department of State Health Services [DSHS] reported that in 2017 there were 101,497 cases ( 714.3 per 100,000 females) of Chlamydia, 20,187 cases (141.7 per 100,000 females) of Gonorrhea,and 2,328 cases (16.3 per 100,000 females) of P&S syphilis. In Forth Worth city in 2018, there were 5,059 cases of Chlamydia, 1,742 cases of Gonorrhea, and 130 cases of P&S Syphilis (2018). The top two infections reported in 2017 in Tarrant County include chlamydia with 5,152 female cases and gonorrhea with 1,339 female cases. Black or African Americans reported with 1,920 cases of Chlamydia compared to White 1,178 cases. Ages 15-24 years-old reported the highest with 5,152 cases compared to 25-44 years-old with 2,640 cases (Tarrant County Department of Public Health, 2017). Fort Worth, Texas will be the primary location to be assessed for STIs among young, minority women.

Fort Worth, Texas is located in North Central Texas and is approximately 358 square miles. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Fort Worth city has an estimate of the population of 895,008 in 2018 (U. S. Census Bureau,2018). In 2017, the total population was 835,129 according to the U.S. Census Bureau, in addition, it is estimated that in Fort Worth city the population is made up of 49% males and 51% females. The population ages 15-19 years old is 59,732 making 7.2% out of the total population. The three highest races are White with 537,562 people (64.4% ), Black or African American with 156,610 people (18.8%), and Hispanic or Latino with 290,354 people (34.8%) ( U.S. Census Bureau, 2017). Fort Worth, Texas collected data based on the US Census in 2017 stated that the median family income in Fort Worth is $69, 973, compared to Texas $70,136, and the United States $73,891( Fort Worth Texas, n.d.). According to Data U.S.A in 2017, Fort Worth has higher poverty by 16.9% than the national been 13.1%, followed by females ages (25-34 years old) with the largest population living in poverty and then females (18-24 years-old). Due to these statistics, this program is aimed at young, minority women, aged 15-19 that live in Fort Worth, Texas.

In Fort Worth ISD, there are approximately 84,000 students in 82 elementary schools, 24 middle schools, and 6th-grade centers, 21 high schools and 16 other campuses” (Fort Worth ISD, 2019). This population was chosen because a survey (Texas Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data) mentioned in SIECUS state profiles in Texas, stated that “In 2017, 57.4% of female high school students and 47.4% of male high school students in Texas reported not using a condom during their last sexual intercourse, compared to 53.1% of female high school students and 38.7% of male high school students nationwide” (SIECUS, 2019, pg.6).

Healthy People 2020 has determined reproductive and sexual health as leading health indicators that need to be addressed. One of the objectives of Healthy People is to “ [r]educe the proportion of adolescents and young adults with Chlamydia trachomatis infections” (Healthy People, 2020b, para. 1). Within that objective, Healthy People (2020b) also wants to incorporate testing in those who attend family planning clinics. Healthy People emphasizes the importance of prevention and testing due to many young women with STIs not knowing signs and symptoms which could lead them to not seek medical care. Not diagnosing STIs early can cause complications in the reproductive system, cancer, and HIV infections (Healthy People, 2020a, para. 2).

References

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2018). Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 2017. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/std/stats17/2017-STD-Surveillance-Report_CDC-clearance-9.10.18.pdf
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019, July 30). STDs in adolescents and young adults – 2018 sexually transmitted diseases surveillance. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/std/stats18/adolescents.htm
3. Data U.S.A. (2017). Fort Worth, TX. Retrieved from https://datausa.io/profile/geo/fort-worth-tx/
4. Fort Worth ISD. (2019). About Fort Worth ISD / About Fort Worth ISD. Retrieved from https://www.fwisd.org/about
5. Fort Worth Texas. (n.d.). Population. Retrieved from https://fortworthtexas.gov/about/population/
6. Healthy People. (2020a, February 16). Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Retrieved from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/sexually-transmitted-diseases
7. Healthy People. (2020b, February 16). Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Retrieved from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/sexually-transmitted-diseases/objectives
8. Parenthood, P. (2020). Mission. Retrieved from https://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/who-we-are/mission
9. Parenthood, P. (n.d.-a). GYT (Get Yourself Tested). Retrieved from https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-western-pennsylvania/patients/gyt-get-yourself-tested
10. Parenthood, P. (n.d.-b). The History & Impact of Planned Parenthood. Retrieved from https://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/who-we-are/our-history
11. Parenthood, P. (n.d.-c). Sexual Health Information For Teens: Sex Facts & Myths. Retrieved from https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/teens
12. Parenthood,P.(n.d.-d). Our impact. Retrieved from https://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/our-impact
13. SIECUS. (2019, March). State profiles fiscal year 2018. Retrieved from https://siecus.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Texas-FY18-Final.pdf.
14. Tarrant County Department of Public Health. (2017). Communicable Diseases, Tarrant County,2017. [Data file]. Retrieved from https://www.tarrantcounty.com/content/dam/main/public-health/PH%20DOCUMENTS/Epi/Communicable%20Disease%20Reports/FINAL_2017_TC_Communicable_Disease_Report.pdf
15. Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). (2018). Texas 2017 STD Surveillance Report. Retrieved from https://www.dshs.texas.gov/hivstd/reports/STDSurveillanceReport.pdf
16. U.S. Census Bureau. (2017). American FactFinder – 2013- 2017 American community survey 5-year estimates. Retrieved from https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=CF
17. U. S. Census Bureau. (2018). American FactFinder- Fort Worth city, Texas. Retrieved from https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml?src=bkmk
18. World Health Organization. (2019, June 14). Sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/sexually-transmitted-infections-(stis)

BACKGROUND

Being a parent is one of the sources of greatest joys in life while it is also the cause of some of the deepest sorrows. It is assumed that having children is the key to living a happy, meaningful life; on the other hand well-being of nonparents is observed higher in significant number of cases. Often parenthood is called to be a crazy ride on a rollercoaster with highest of highs and the lowest of lows. There has been a long-standing debate regarding whether parenthood promotes parent’s well-being or not.

The literature supports both perspectives, with some researchers demonstrating that parents perceive higher well-being than their childless peers and others showing the opposite. For most parents their children are a source of happiness and joy; but as is often the case, studies offer a more complicated view of the relationship between being a parent and being happy. Parenthood is a transformative experience—imposing a unique mix of stress and rewards for those who enter (Nomaguchi & Milkie, 2003)

This study aims to reconcile the conflicting literature to unfold the complex parenting journey by modeling how and why parenthood and well-being are related. The question of when parents experience more or less happiness is answered according to that. By investigating the highly complex relationship, the research draws a comprehensive picture of parenting and happiness connection.

RESEARCH UNFOLD UTILIZE WHY

Peer reviewed article “The Pains and Pleasures of Parenting: When, Why, and How Is Parenthood Associated With More or Less Well-Being?” published in 2014 by S. Katherine Nelson S, Kushlev K. and Lyubomirsky S. is the primary source for this study as it reconciles all literature of opposing views and gathers the information to turn into a clear model. It is discussed in the next section in detail.

The book “All Joy and No Fun” by Jennifer Senior discusses the topic in an authentic style of the author’s. She states raising children is terribly hard work, often thankless and mind-numbing, and yet the most rapturous experience available to adults. Parents are both happier and more miserable than nonparents, that child rearing dictates a wider emotional range than people have generally known before it.

Recent articles covering the subject from different points of view with contradicting findings are very insightful to see the big picture of parenthood and well-being relation. They are cited in References section, and their findings are reconciled through the study.

There is a significant number of podcasts on parenting, but Fletcher’s “Happy Mum, Happy Baby” is specifically useful as it focuses on the well-being of the parents in physical, mental and emotional ways. In the same way, 1989 movie “Parenthood” by Howard is a funny and thoughtfully crafted look at the best and worst moments of parenting.

Furthermore, interview with a family therapist, Aysun Yilmaz, covering the cultural aspects of parenthood and happiness supports the research with recent global views. Countless number of resources is scanned for this research, and this sample is found to be significantly representing the opposing views parents’ more or less well-being.

PRIMARY ARTICLE

The article “The Pains and Pleasures of Parenting: When, Why, and How Is Parenthood Associated With More or Less Well-Being?” which is used as a main source in this study scans through the literature and tries to model the findings to give a big picture of the assessment of the relation between parenthood and well-being. Researchers have so far examined the relationship between parenthood and well-being with three basic types of methodologies all of which have some pros and cons and addresses different areas on wellbeing of parents. The first way compares parents to nonparents, while the second one examines the happiness before and after a being a parent and the last one focuses on the experiences with or without children. The outputs of these studies are as follows:

1. Parents versus nonparents;

This is the most common model. Essentially it is an effort to solve the problem of “Do the people with children experience well-being differently than their childless counterparts?” Immediate question arises; then “What is well-being?”. The constructs and related measures of anxiety, depressive symptoms, happiness, parental subjective well-being, psychological distress, satisfaction with life and stress are utilized as constructs to formalize along with meaning in life, positive emotions and relationship satisfaction are the fundamental mediators to predict well-being. (Busseri & Sadava, 2011)

Findings widely vary in such a way that in comparison to nonparents, parents:

• have been found to experience lower levels of well-being (Evenson & Simon, 2005; Glenn & Weaver, 1979; McLanahan & Adams, 1987, 1989),
• higher levels of well-being (Aassve et al., 2012; Nelson et al., 2013),
• similar levels of well-being (Rothrauff & Cooney, 2008).

The conflicting outcomes are mostly due to diverse demographics of both parents and children such as age, gender, health condition as well as the well-being measures specified. Furthermore, the characteristics of the nonparents play a significant role in the results as nonparents are voluntarily or involuntarily childless together with their age group whether they are middle aged or still young not to have children plans yet.

2. Well-being before and after the parenthood

This methodology analyzes the well-being across the parenthood transition. One significant study shows that there is a happiness jump during pregnancy and right after the birth of child but it flattens returns back to its old value after two years. (Dyrdal & Lucas, 2013). On the other hand, components of well-being play an important role in the interpretation such that it is found parents experience more positive emotions after having child but a mixed of first incline then decline in life satisfaction in parallel. (Luhmann, Hofmann, Eid, & Lucas, 2012).

The advantage of this approach is its being free of selection biases of the samples such as the tendency of unhappy people not to have children. However, the timeline base chosen for these longitudinal affects the results directly. If the well-being is measured only within pregnancy it is impossible to differentiate the normal well-being outputs, and even for a few years happiness parameters are affected by relationship or marriage dynamics.

3. Life experiences with and without children

The last method explores the happiness during child care and other daily daily activities. For both and women childcare takes its place in the middle when the activities are ordered according to the rate of being enjoyable, although the parents expresses feelings of more fulfillment when looking after their children. (Nelson et al., 2013, Study 3)

This methodology has superiority to the first two as it measures the well-being specifically for the time spent directly with children. On the contrary since it focuses on daily activities it is hard to have an overall conclusion of the well-being on parents on a long time scale.

The big picture of literature scan does not produce a single result on the association of well-being and parenthood. It turns out that the relation is not a simple one and can be interpreted better when approached with another perspective. Through consolidation and with the help of mediators; the link between parenthood and well-being is best answered when the question is slightly changed into ‘Why and parents experience more or less happiness than nonparents?”

Why

It is clear that only some theories to date have been developed to explain why parenthood may be related to higher or lower well-being. A number of processes, both positive and negative, by which parenthood might lead to more or less well-being are defined to build a framework for comprehending all research findings.

Purpose and meaning in life, human needs, positive emotions and social roles are the factors leading the parenting to more well-being. On the other hand regarding the path from parenthood to lower well-being, considerable evidence attests to the roles of negative emotions, sleep disturbance and fatigue, and strained partner relationships, and some evidence supports the role of financial strain.

When

There are lots of variables affecting the well-being of parents closely. Demographic factors of parent age, child age, parent gender, marital status, socioeconomic status, employment status, family structure, residence impact the happiness in a positive or negative way. In addition to that there are a number of psychological dimensions in place like social support, parenting style, child problems, child temperament and parent attachment style. Researches support that being young, being single, having young children, having children with special needs decrease the overall well-being of the parent including the noncustodial ones. On the other hand, parents express more happiness when they are married and when they have children at an older age , especially the fathers.

In summary, parenthood and well-being relation is quite complex. It is misleading to conclude that parents are happier or unhappier based on separate studies, but instead the association should be interpreted by formulating the problem with critical variables. In brief, we can say that parents experience less well-being when they have problematic relations or their children have special needs or they are in need of financial support; but at the same time they are definitely happier since their social roles are magnified, they get positive emotions and find greater meaning and fulfillment in life.

FINDINGS

To support the research in global view aspects I decided to interview with an expert family therapist Aysun Yilmaz in Turkey. She has broad academical work in the area both inside and outside the country , as well as having blogs and podcasts on the parenting and happiness. We discussed specifically two points; culture effects and local parenting style applications of parenting on the well-being.

She started her talk by saying that views about parenthood or not having children by choice differ widely across cultures. Typical number of children per family varies from country to country, even from region to region in the same place. The time the parents expected to spend with kids, its priority among all other social roles, gender differences all play important factors.

Having seen lots of clients from different cultures she emphasizes that Turkey is a collectivistic culture and family is very important. This decreases child-rearing practices significantly. After a certain age all adults feel the pressure of marrying and having children. This has both positive and negative effects of happiness on the happiness. First of all parenting age is quite young and typical number of children is relatively high. The parents feel financial strains and their own life priorities all change and become child centric. It makes them unhappy. Furthermore, since there is a pressure they cannot express their unhappiness, and this causes anxiety, depression and other mental health problems. On the other hand, comparatively they can have more support from their families and communities while raising children, which helps to increase their well-beings.

The second point she emphasizes is parenting style impacts. Much of literature evaluates the parenting styles from the point of child outcomes and surprisingly parents’ well-being might not always be correlated with the child outcomes. In contrast to so many Western cultures, relaxing parenting style is practiced. They are still somehow the center of life but the parents do not feel the pressure to be perfect and this helps with their own well-being. They do not feel they have to engage in time-demanding children activities all the time. The children live among grandparents and extensive family members and this gives the parents to take time for themselves more. Cultural expectations for raising kids are not so demanding in a way that when they become adults it is enough for them to be good humans and not necessarily competent in every domain. Loving children is seen as sufficient and all the other efforts are given second priority. Although this parenting approach cannot be accepted as best for children, apparently the parents get less anxious and depressed.

We ended the interview by briefly discussing all the other cultural points that may affect well-being like gender roles, social economic statuses and even the variability of well-being definition across eastern and western cultures.

ACTIONABLES

As the study suggests the answer to the question “Does parenthood increase or decrease well-being?” is not a simple yes or no. This study shows that the relation between having children or none and being happy or not is dependent upon many other variables including both parent and child characteristics. Financial problems, troubled marriages and sleep disturbance affect parents’ wellbeing negatively; on the other hand they feel happier by finding bigger meaning in life, experiencing more positive emotions with children and by the fulfilling social roles.

The outcomes of this research build a beneficial guide to identify the parents groups who have the tendency to be unhappy and be a good source to focus on the related segments to increase their well-being. For example, it is clear that single parents struggle more in life when raising children on their own, so the amount of social and community support can be extended.

Furthermore, findings encourage that parents can increase their happiness level and enhance their positive emotions by a number of activities. These activities include practicing wisdom skills like expressing gratitude, kindness, compassion and humility. This is structured by positive-activity model. Lyubomirsky, S., & Layous, K. (2013)

The model suggests that well-being can be maintained in four main dimensions which are positive emotions, positive thoughts, positive behaviors, and need satisfaction. The dosage and variety of the activities, the motivation and effort of the parents and the extent to which activities fit the people are major components of the happiness it brings to the parents. The studies show that a major shift in well-being is possible only with little focused changes in thoughts and behaviors. All these approaches can be brought into practice by increasing more awareness of the parenting issues in the society and giving more financial supports to help the vulnerable parents to access to all kinds of sources with their mental health and social and emotional well-being. It is obvious that there exists a convincing improvement area in the parents’ short-term and long-term happiness within varying circumstances of cultural and socioeconomic dynamics.

There are many potential steps that can be taken to increase the overall well-being of parents not only for the sake of themselves but also for the happiness of the children.

REFERENCES

1. Nelson, K. & Kushlev, K. & Lyubomirsky, S. (2014). The Pains and Pleasures of Parenting: When, Why, and How Is Parenthood Associated With More or Less Well-Being? American Psychological Association , DOI: 10.1037/a0035444
2. Yilmaz, A., Ph.D. Psychology Istanbul University, 1996. Interview March, 2020
3. Senior, J. (2014). All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood: Little, Brown Book Group
4. Lyubomirsky, S., & Layous, K. (2013). How do simple positive activities increase well-being? Current Directions in Psychological Science, 22, 57–62. doi:10.1177/0963721412469809
5. De Botton, A. (2020). The Philosophical Parent: The School of Life, London, UK https://www.theschooloflife.com/thebookoflife/the-philosophical-parent/
6. Klein, A. (2019). Having kids makes you happier, but only when they move out https://www.newscientist.com/article/2213655-having-kids-makes-you-happier-but-only-when-they-move-out/
7. Dickinson, K. (2018). Decades of data suggest parenthood makes people unhappy: Big Think https://bigthink.com/sex-relationships/should-you-have-kids
8. Luscombe, B. (2016) Many Parents Are Happier Than Non-Parents — But Not in the U.S.: Time Magazine https://time.com/collection/guide-to-happiness/4370344/parents-happiness-children-study/
9. Swanson, A. (2016). Many parents will say kids made them happier. They’re probably lying. : The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/07/06/many-americans-will-tell-you-having-kids-made-them-happier-theyre-probably-lying/
10. Fletcher, G. (2020). Happy Mum, Happy Baby Podcast: Peanut
11. Howard, R. (1989). Parenthood: Movie, Universal Pictures

Margaret Sanger’s first clinic handed out cervical caps. During World War I, many servicemen were diagnosed with venereal diseases. Due to this, the government responded by placing out an anti-venereal disease campaign. This changed contraception from a moral issue and began making it public health issue and research began. In Europe, soldiers began to use condoms, for which they brought back to the US and readily supported their use. In 1938, the judge lifted the federal ban on birth control, and diaphragms became one of the most popular use of birth control.

“In the 1950s, when the United States government, medical institutions, and the pharmaceutical industry wanted nothing to do with contraceptive research, funding for the development of the pill came from a very unlikely source—a single benefactor. Katherine McCormick provided almost every single dollar necessary to develop the oral contraceptive” (Katharine Dexter McCormick, 2018 p.1) Katharine’s financial backing, Gregory Pincus was able to develop the contraceptive pill, known as Enovid, was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1960. This changed everything when it came to financial planning, sexual reproduction, education and public health.

Currently, the United States is in a fight yet again. The Affordable care act required employers to provide contraceptive coverage without a co-pay. There were exceptions with religious nonprofits. There is currently a fight as to who would be required to cover contraception. The Supreme Court did rule in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby and allowed privately-held companies with religious objections to refuse to cover birth control for their employees. (Byrd, 2018) The Trump administration seeks to continue this. The administration rules would allow virtually any employer or university with religious or moral objections to refuse to comply with the ACA requirement. Planned Parenthood is fighting again. Fighting to remove control of contraception from the political decision and give it back to women. They are fighting to make it illegal to discriminate with health insurance against women. (Byrd, 2018)

Sexual Education

Sexual Education changed in the 20th century primarily due to a much-needed response to the current country’s health crisis. It was designed to teach people about venereal diseases and how to remain morally pure. It really was not to promote sex but to educate the married and create strict influences to have people outside of wedlock refrain. During that time in history, many people opposed sexual education, and that is still the same today. Currently, many sexual education program focus on the human body, and changes that occur when, sexual abstinence, contraception, sexual diseases, and teen pregnancy. “Planned Parenthood is the single largest provider of sex education in the United States, reaching 1.5 million people with education and outreach each year “ (How Planned Parenthood Teaches Sex Education, 2019)”. Planned Parenthood educators teach across all levels of the span. This includes from Elementary all the way to older adults. Some of the topics currently being taught involve, decision making, birth control, STIs, healthy relationships, consent, body image, anatomy, and puberty.

Many schools are local organizations are being pushed to change the way that sexual education is provided. This is mainly due to all the changes that are going on within the world in regard to the LGBTQ community and other gender topics overall. A recent poll has been completed by Planned Parenthood said; “93 percent of parents supported having sex education taught in middle school, and 96 percent of parents supported having education taught in high school”( (How Planned Parenthood Teaches Sex Education, 2019). Many people are arguing that sex education must be more than just biology or puberty and reproduction, but must really look into what real life is today. This is where the divide is with people of different ethnic and religious backgrounds especially. “Sex education programs that are balanced and realistic, encourage students to postpone sex until they are older, and promote safer-sex practices among those who choose to be sexually active have been proven effective at delaying first intercourse and increasing use of contraception among sexually active youth” (Birth Control, 2019)

Teen Pregnancy

Teen pregnancy is a widespread problem for centuries. Many years ago, this was proper practice and still is in some countries within the world, especially in third world countries. “In 2017, a total of 194, 377 babies were born to women aged 15-19, for a birth rate of 18.8 per 1,000 women in this age group” (Reproductive Health: Teen Pregnancy, 2018). Teen pregnancy affects all that are involved. Teens are not financially stable to many times support a child, let alone themselves. This causes many teens to be forced onto assistance programs within the local, state and federal government. Teen pregnancies can have long-term effects on the mom and child in regard to flourishing within the community. “Only about 50% of teen mothers receive a high school diploma by 22years of age, whereas approximately 90% of women who do not give birth during adolescence graduate from high school” (Reproductive Health: Teen Pregnancy, 2018). This is a cycle. As teen mothers, many times have children who become teen mothers. It is so important to help young people with the prevention of pregnancy.

The rate of teen pregnancy is the lowest it has been within the last 50 years or so, but it is still higher than it needs to be. Planned Parenthood is on the forefront of helping with this. They want to provide an evidence-based practice type of teenage pregnancy education. They want to continue to grow their youth development programs. Many people within communities are placing an unrealistic emphasis on preventing sexual behaviors in teenagers. When in fact it there need to be more proper education so that the prevention of teenage pregnancies occurs.

“In the U.S., one in three television programs contains a scene devoting primary emphasis to sexual behavior, and one in 10 contains a scene in which intercourse is depicted or strongly implied, yet sexual precautions and the consequences of sexual behavior are rarely depicted”(Reducing Teenage Pregnancy, 2019 p.3). Teens see this and think it is ok, but really do not understand what it takes to raise a child. There are three options when a teenager gets pregnant. The teenager can parent, choose abortion, or choose adoption. All three of the choices are hard ones to make and prevention is key to not have these young people have to make them at all.

Abortion

Abortion is a very controversial topic right now and in the past. People, religious organizations, pro-life and pro-choice groups, federal and state government officials and the legislature is all arguing about the rules, approval, and regulations that should be in place when it comes to abortions. There are many reason that women choose to have an abortion. Some women have been raped or have suffered incest. Some women found out that their baby has a birth defect or will not survive. Some women need to do so to save their own life due to health issues. Some women make the decision due to social or economic reasons. Some women are too young or not ready. Whatever the reason, this is a very personal one at that.

There are two sides to this argument ever since the US government legalized abortion. One side does not believe that women have the right to end a life of an unborn child and the other side believes that women have the right to decide what happens to their own bodies. “Outlawing abortion did nothing to prevent pregnancy, and some estimates put the number of annual illegal abortions from 200,000 to 1.2 million in the 1950s and 1960s” (Gill, 2019).

Planned Parenthood completes many abortions in their clinics. Safe and sterile. They offer two kinds of abortions. The first being a medical abortion or what is referred to as the abortion pill. The second being an in-clinic abortion. There are some states in the US where you do not have to be 18 or older, and you also do not have to have parental consent. There are some states that require that you only be a certain amount of weeks pregnant. There are some states that do not allow for abortions at all. There are many times in which abortions are necessary and when you limited the availability or option, illegal abortions happen. This is very dangerous and can cause infertility, infection, and even death.

“In the landmark Whole Woman’s Health v Hellerstdt case on June 27, 2016, the US Supreme Court ruled that two abortion restrictions in Texas are unconstitutional because they would shut down most clinics in the state and cause an undue burden for Texas women to access safe, legal abortion” (Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, 2019). This case was a historic constitutional gain for women’s right to abortion. Since 2011 there are many states that began a 6-week ban. This means that anything after 6 weeks would not be permitted. Many of these bans are being challenged, but there is a new trend to begin them.

The fate of abortions seems to lie within the lawmakers, rather than with the women. This is what Planned Parenthood is fighting for. To help women keep making their own decision for their own bodies.

Warren Buffet

Warren Buffet is a large abortion supporter. He has donated thousands of dollars to the fund. He has his own non-profit and he also gives money to many abortion organizations and groups, including Planned Parenthood. Warren and his wife Susan Thompson Buffett supported abortion fully. They have been very concerned about overpopulation and supported family planning to stop the continued growth of the world’s population. After Susan’s passing, he changed his personal foundation’s name and continues to help personally donate to allow women to have abortions and keep organizations up and running.

Conclusion

Planned Parenthood is one of the largest pro-choice organizations in the United States. It helps women, youth, teens, men, and couples to have proper sex education. Along with this it helps to complete testing on STDs and Cancer. There are so many benefits of this organization. Women’s rights have recently become the front scene due to the current divide with the government. There have been numerous groups and protests that the federal government should not decide what a woman can and cannot do with their own body. This is in the case of birth control, abortion, and even basic yearly screenings for health. People like Margaret Sanger paved the way to help women today have the option to choose conceptive, family planning and also to allow for this to be legal within the United States. Through support from donations and other federal grants, Planned Parenthood has been able to continue its services. Warren Buffet continued donations has allowed for the organization to reach even more people. Currently, there are many arguments when it comes to Planned Parenthood that are being addressed by local supporters, the federal government and especially within the Political parties. The prochoice and prolife has split the people and their viewpoints. Without the option to have safe abortions, and access to birth control, especially the morning-after pill, there will be so many illegal procedures done.

Margaret Sanger’s first clinic handed out cervical caps. During World War I, many servicemen were diagnosed with venereal diseases. Due to this, the government responded by placing out an anti-venereal disease campaign. This changed contraception from a moral issue and began making it public health issue and research began. In Europe, soldiers began to use condoms, for which they brought back to the US and readily supported their use. In 1938, the judge lifted the federal ban on birth control, and diaphragms became one of the most popular use of birth control.

“In the 1950s, when the United States government, medical institutions, and the pharmaceutical industry wanted nothing to do with contraceptive research, funding for the development of the pill came from a very unlikely source—a single benefactor. Katherine McCormick provided almost every single dollar necessary to develop the oral contraceptive” (Katharine Dexter McCormick, 2018 p.1) Katharine’s financial backing, Gregory Pincus was able to develop the contraceptive pill, known as Enovid, was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1960. This changed everything when it came to financial planning, sexual reproduction, education and public health.

Currently, the United States is in a fight yet again. The Affordable care act required employers to provide contraceptive coverage without a co-pay. There were exceptions with religious nonprofits. There is currently a fight as to who would be required to cover contraception. The Supreme Court did rule in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby and allowed privately-held companies with religious objections to refuse to cover birth control for their employees. (Byrd, 2018) The Trump administration seeks to continue this. The administration rules would allow virtually any employer or university with religious or moral objections to refuse to comply with the ACA requirement. Planned Parenthood is fighting again. Fighting to remove control of contraception from the political decision and give it back to women. They are fighting to make it illegal to discriminate with health insurance against women. (Byrd, 2018)

Sexual Education

Sexual Education changed in the 20th century primarily due to a much-needed response to the current country’s health crisis. It was designed to teach people about venereal diseases and how to remain morally pure. It really was not to promote sex but to educate the married and create strict influences to have people outside of wedlock refrain. During that time in history, many people opposed sexual education, and that is still the same today. Currently, many sexual education program focus on the human body, and changes that occur when, sexual abstinence, contraception, sexual diseases, and teen pregnancy. “Planned Parenthood is the single largest provider of sex education in the United States, reaching 1.5 million people with education and outreach each year “ (How Planned Parenthood Teaches Sex Education, 2019)”. Planned Parenthood educators teach across all levels of the span. This includes from Elementary all the way to older adults. Some of the topics currently being taught involve, decision making, birth control, STIs, healthy relationships, consent, body image, anatomy, and puberty.

Many schools are local organizations are being pushed to change the way that sexual education is provided. This is mainly due to all the changes that are going on within the world in regard to the LGBTQ community and other gender topics overall. A recent poll has been completed by Planned Parenthood said; “93 percent of parents supported having sex education taught in middle school, and 96 percent of parents supported having education taught in high school”( (How Planned Parenthood Teaches Sex Education, 2019). Many people are arguing that sex education must be more than just biology or puberty and reproduction, but must really look into what real life is today. This is where the divide is with people of different ethnic and religious backgrounds especially. “Sex education programs that are balanced and realistic, encourage students to postpone sex until they are older, and promote safer-sex practices among those who choose to be sexually active have been proven effective at delaying first intercourse and increasing use of contraception among sexually active youth” (Birth Control, 2019)

Teen Pregnancy

Teen pregnancy is a widespread problem for centuries. Many years ago, this was proper practice and still is in some countries within the world, especially in third world countries. “In 2017, a total of 194, 377 babies were born to women aged 15-19, for a birth rate of 18.8 per 1,000 women in this age group” (Reproductive Health: Teen Pregnancy, 2018). Teen pregnancy affects all that are involved. Teens are not financially stable to many times support a child, let alone themselves. This causes many teens to be forced onto assistance programs within the local, state and federal government. Teen pregnancies can have long-term effects on the mom and child in regard to flourishing within the community. “Only about 50% of teen mothers receive a high school diploma by 22years of age, whereas approximately 90% of women who do not give birth during adolescence graduate from high school” (Reproductive Health: Teen Pregnancy, 2018). This is a cycle. As teen mothers, many times have children who become teen mothers. It is so important to help young people with the prevention of pregnancy.

The rate of teen pregnancy is the lowest it has been within the last 50 years or so, but it is still higher than it needs to be. Planned Parenthood is on the forefront of helping with this. They want to provide an evidence-based practice type of teenage pregnancy education. They want to continue to grow their youth development programs. Many people within communities are placing an unrealistic emphasis on preventing sexual behaviors in teenagers. When in fact it there need to be more proper education so that the prevention of teenage pregnancies occurs.

“In the U.S., one in three television programs contains a scene devoting primary emphasis to sexual behavior, and one in 10 contains a scene in which intercourse is depicted or strongly implied, yet sexual precautions and the consequences of sexual behavior are rarely depicted”(Reducing Teenage Pregnancy, 2019 p.3). Teens see this and think it is ok, but really do not understand what it takes to raise a child. There are three options when a teenager gets pregnant. The teenager can parent, choose abortion, or choose adoption. All three of the choices are hard ones to make and prevention is key to not have these young people have to make them at all.

Abortion

Abortion is a very controversial topic right now and in the past. People, religious organizations, pro-life and pro-choice groups, federal and state government officials and the legislature is all arguing about the rules, approval, and regulations that should be in place when it comes to abortions. There are many reason that women choose to have an abortion. Some women have been raped or have suffered incest. Some women found out that their baby has a birth defect or will not survive. Some women need to do so to save their own life due to health issues. Some women make the decision due to social or economic reasons. Some women are too young or not ready. Whatever the reason, this is a very personal one at that.

There are two sides to this argument ever since the US government legalized abortion. One side does not believe that women have the right to end a life of an unborn child and the other side believes that women have the right to decide what happens to their own bodies. “Outlawing abortion did nothing to prevent pregnancy, and some estimates put the number of annual illegal abortions from 200,000 to 1.2 million in the 1950s and 1960s” (Gill, 2019).

Planned Parenthood completes many abortions in their clinics. Safe and sterile. They offer two kinds of abortions. The first being a medical abortion or what is referred to as the abortion pill. The second being an in-clinic abortion. There are some states in the US where you do not have to be 18 or older, and you also do not have to have parental consent. There are some states that require that you only be a certain amount of weeks pregnant. There are some states that do not allow for abortions at all. There are many times in which abortions are necessary and when you limited the availability or option, illegal abortions happen. This is very dangerous and can cause infertility, infection, and even death.

“In the landmark Whole Woman’s Health v Hellerstdt case on June 27, 2016, the US Supreme Court ruled that two abortion restrictions in Texas are unconstitutional because they would shut down most clinics in the state and cause an undue burden for Texas women to access safe, legal abortion” (Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, 2019). This case was a historic constitutional gain for women’s right to abortion. Since 2011 there are many states that began a 6-week ban. This means that anything after 6 weeks would not be permitted. Many of these bans are being challenged, but there is a new trend to begin them.

The fate of abortions seems to lie within the lawmakers, rather than with the women. This is what Planned Parenthood is fighting for. To help women keep making their own decision for their own bodies.

Warren Buffet

Warren Buffet is a large abortion supporter. He has donated thousands of dollars to the fund. He has his own non-profit and he also gives money to many abortion organizations and groups, including Planned Parenthood. Warren and his wife Susan Thompson Buffett supported abortion fully. They have been very concerned about overpopulation and supported family planning to stop the continued growth of the world’s population. After Susan’s passing, he changed his personal foundation’s name and continues to help personally donate to allow women to have abortions and keep organizations up and running.

Conclusion

Planned Parenthood is one of the largest pro-choice organizations in the United States. It helps women, youth, teens, men, and couples to have proper sex education. Along with this it helps to complete testing on STDs and Cancer. There are so many benefits of this organization. Women’s rights have recently become the front scene due to the current divide with the government. There have been numerous groups and protests that the federal government should not decide what a woman can and cannot do with their own body. This is in the case of birth control, abortion, and even basic yearly screenings for health. People like Margaret Sanger paved the way to help women today have the option to choose conceptive, family planning and also to allow for this to be legal within the United States. Through support from donations and other federal grants, Planned Parenthood has been able to continue its services. Warren Buffet continued donations has allowed for the organization to reach even more people. Currently, there are many arguments when it comes to Planned Parenthood that are being addressed by local supporters, the federal government and especially within the Political parties. The prochoice and prolife has split the people and their viewpoints. Without the option to have safe abortions, and access to birth control, especially the morning-after pill, there will be so many illegal procedures done.