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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.
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