What Planned Parenthood does and does not do
A few days ago I posted a link on my Facebook wall to one of the videos concerning the recent Planned Parenthood scandal. In a response, one of my friends wrote “…in low income and rural areas planned parenthood is the only clinic available to women for women’s health”. My friend Rachel asked what kind of services they provide, but never received a reply.
Well, undeterred, Rachel did some digging and yesterday she posted a link on my wall to something posted by Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood employee. I wanted to reproduce it here in its entirety:
This is for people who say Planned Parenthood provides so many services for women. Here are the facts. Planned Parenthood should NEVER be your “go to” for healthcare.
Planned Parenthood does NOT provide:
-Mammograms
-Prenatal Care
-Breast Biopsies
-Breast Cancer Diagnostic Care
-Primary Health Care
-Diabetes Treatment
-Treatment for Elevated Cholesterol
-Treatment for Elevated Blood Pressure
-Holistic Medicine
-Obstetrical Care
-Pediatric Care
-Care for HIV Positive Individuals
-Infertility Treatments
-Natural Family Planning Instruction
-Care for Uterine Fibroids
-Treatment for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
-Adoption Placement
-Prostate Exams
-Uterine Laser Ablation
-Cervical Laser Ablation
-Miscarriage Management
-Bladder Disorders and Urinary Problems
-Prolapsed Pelvic Floor Concerns
-Laparoscopic Procedures
-Hysterectomy
-Treatment of Endometriosis
-Polyp Removal
-Endometrial Ablation
-BRCA Testing
-Bone Density Testing
-Treatment of Pelvic Pain
-Treatment of Vulvar Pain
-Molar Pregnancy Follow Up
Planned Parenthood DOES provide:
-First and Second Trimester Abortions
-Limited STD testing and treatment
-Pap Smears for Women in Child Bearing Years
-Limited Contraceptive Methods
Just wanted to put some of the myths to rest.
That is eye opening. I just assumed that they did all the things listed AND abortions as well. If you want to see a photo of what they really do well, check out my post from today http://notforitchingears.com/2015/07/23/it-may-be-a-legal-right-but-it-seems-morally-wrong-doesnt-it/
Oh yes, they do that really well… đ
Pingback: WHAT PLANNED PARENTHOOD DOES AND DOES NOT DO | CatholicBibleTalk
Planned Parenthood offers reproductive health care that otherwise would be unaffordable for many women. You can utilize whatever services you need, get answers to questions, referrals for further healthcare if test results suggest follow-up, and they do provide abortions at some of the clinics but not all of them. Abortion is one option, but they also discuss the other options as well; such as keeping the baby or giving it up for adoption. They will discuss available programs and connect the woman with them. Whether you choose abortion is up to you, not Planned Parenthood. I would much rather have the availability of safe abortions for the woman rather than go back to the way it was when women died from botched abortions in back alleys or only available to the rich who can go to another country for an abortion. Do not judge. Be compassionate. You do not walk in their shoes.
Hey Cheryl, thanks for your comment. Part of me is a little confused though. Is the list offered accurate or not? If so, it is neither an attack of Planned Parenthood, nor a defense of them, but simply a stating of the services which they provide, as well as the services which people think they supply but do not.
Given that they get $500 million from the federal government alone (aside from State etc.), I would certainly hope that they provide services to people who don’t have much money!
I haven’t dug around for recent statistics, but at least in 2013 Planned Parenthood provided 149 abortions for each adoption referral. Other agencies have much more success in encouraging the non-violent solution to the problem of an unexpected pregnancy.
Have you watched any of the undercover videos done by Lila Rose?
I find this position problematic. I’ve written a longer post where I explain myself further. I ask some questions in that post and I’d be interested to hear how you’d answer them.
In the USA we often hear that abortion should be “safe, legal and rare”. It’s definitely legal. However, there’s no safety for the baby in the procedure and it most certainly is not rare.
Aren’t you judging me in telling me not to judge? Also, do you not judge things which you deem to be morally wrong? Do you judge the actions of those who treat animals harshly or employers who underpay their employees?
You’re assuming I’m not compassionate and I’m not really sure how you can know that. However, do you think pro-lifers support their local crisis pregnancy centres because they lack compassion? Are they doing it out of the meanness of their hearts? The very reason we support those centres and the very reason we go to abortion clinics is because we love. It would be unloving to sit back and do nothing.
If you ever spend some time with those involved with the pro-life movement, you’ll find that compassion their fuel. A very close friend of mine regularly stands in front of Planned Parenthood clinics, speaking with the girls going in to get abortions. When asked why she does this, she replies “Because nobody was standing here to speak to me on the day I went in for my abortion”.
Cheryl – the fact is the “back alley” abortions you are referring to were in 99.9% of the cases performed by physicians. “Back alley” is the way women usually had to enter the doctors office so as to not cause people to notice them.
More women die from abortion now than they ever did before Roe v Wade.
You need to do a bit of research before saying things that are no more than propaganda fed to the masses.
Some facts:
Myth #1. Illegal abortions were performed by unlicensed, unskilled hacks. Prior to legalization, 90 percent of illegal abortions were done by physicians.2 Most of the remainder were done by nurses, midwives or others with at least some medical training. The term âback alleyâ referred not to where abortions were performed, but to how women were instructed to enter the doctorâs office after hours, through the back alley, to avoid arousing neighborsâ suspicions.
Myth #2. Tens of thousands of women died from illegal abortions every year. This pseudo-fact was much repeated by the media. The late Dr. Bernard Nathanson, one of the co-founders of the National Abortion Rights Action League and the obstetrician/ gynecologist who directed what was in the 1970s the worldâs largest abortion clinic, later revealed that leading abortion proponents knew this figure was false but considered it to be âusefulâ in their public relations campaign. Even Planned Parenthoodâs own leading statisticians admitted that the official statistics on deaths resulting from illegal abortion were very accurately reported prior to 1973. In 1972, there were only 39 maternal deaths related to illegal abortion, not the thousands proclaimed by pro-abortionists.
Cheryl Hofer. re. your statement about Planned Parenthood abortion being safe – There have been a number of women who died following a botched abortion and many who can never have another child. Some who suffer from despair and guilt and who commit suicide.
Sorry Evelyn, you have presented a straw man argument. I could just as easily say that abortion (in cases not medically necessitated) have saved countless women from their abusive boyfriends or rapists. I could also say the trauma of bringing that child to term, bonding with it and giving it up for adoption would cause them to suffer from such despair and guilt that they would kill themselves.
I myself made the difficult decision to have an abortion a few years ago, I had only been with the man for a month and he lived out of state. We have now been married a year. Would I love to have that baby in my arms right now? Of course. I know we made the right decision for us though. We couldn’t have given it the strong foundation it needed to grow up in a stable home if we got together because we got pregnant. We ended up being perfect for each other, I think the most devastating thing would be to know that our child was out there and we weren’t the ones raising and loving it.
Hi X, welcome to Restless Pilgrim.
A straw man argument is when you misrepresent someone else’s argument in such a way as to make it easier to refute. How do you think Evelyn has done this? All she has said is that abortion is a procedure not without its risks.
I address the kinds of arguments put forward by Cheryl in my post Safe and Legal which I would invite you to consider.
How has abortion saved them from their abusers? As far as I can see, all that an abortion could achieve is the death of the child conceived.
In some countries, those who have suffered rape are killed. It’s called “honour killing”. I think this is barbaric because it’s the killing of an innocent human being. If it’s barbaric to kill the innocent victim of rape, why would it be okay to kill the innocent child who was conceived in this way? What crime has the child committed which warrants the death penalty?
Abortion is not the panacea it promises to be. The rape victim has already endured the emotional trauma of the rape and undergoing an abortion will only compound it further. She will endure the consequences of her decision long after she has left Planned Parenthood. Adoption, rather than abortion, is a non-violent solution to a problem caused by violence. Below you can read below some stories of women who were raped, found they had conceived and yet still chose life:
* Pregnant after being violently raped at just 12-years-old, she rejected abortion: now, she has no regrets
* Raped while on a business trip, my husband and I chose life
* After being raped at 13, this girl bravely rejected abortion: then the unthinkable happened
I don’t think statistics are on your side on this issue. Even the Guttmacher Institute studies have shown adoption to be a remarkably cathartic experience for those mothers and many who do choose abortion do later regret it.
Here’s the story of a musician, Mark Schultz, writing about his experience of being adopted:
I’m sorry to hear that you’ve been through such a tough experience. I would strongly encourage you to receive counselling from somewhere like Abortion Changes You or Rachel’s Hope or Rachel’s Vineyard. I’ve had several friends make use of these groups and they’ve found a lot of healing there.
I agree with you that it’s important to try and provide the best possible situation for children as they are brought into this world. However, please consider the following hypothetical. Let’s say that one of your friends who has a toddler finds herself in a less-than-ideal life situation. Maybe she has just lost her job and her husband abandoned her. Life is definitely going to be difficult in the coming years. Now please allow me to ask a dumb question: would you suggest to that women to euthanize her toddler? Of course not, right? If you wouldn’t suggest that she end the life of her toddler, why might you suggest she do the same to her unborn child who is even more defenseless?
Giving up a child for adoption doesn’t necessarily mean that the mother will never see the child again. There is the option of open adoption and, even if this is not chosen, there is always the possibility that the child will reach out later in life.
I don’t want to sound insensitive, but wouldn’t it be more devastating to know that your child is in the grave? I can only approach this as a hypothetical, but I can’t help but think that if I had the choice between my child (a) being dead and (b) being raised by someone else, I would have to choose the option which gave my child the continued gift of life. I would want my daughter to have the opportunity to take her first steps, taste ice-cream, ride a bike, go to prom, have a career, get married and have children of her own.
I had an abortion with Planned Parenthood’s help. No they do not let you know there are other options other than abortion. Quite the opposite. As a 15 year old in 1977 I asked the technician what ‘it’ looked like. This was long before there was much literature showing the development of a growing fetus. She answered, “it’s just a blob of tissue”. After I was quiet for a few minutes she said, ” You’re really young.” Yes I was young but I was not told there were people and places in our city who helped unwed young women or even that carrying the baby could be an option. I was already terrified so I believe she was trained to ease the process toward an abortion. Though I asked God for forgiveness a year later it wasn’t until I was married 5 years later and was holding my 5 month old son in my arms that it hit me what I had actually done. I was heartbroken and devastated. And that’s the other thing they won’t tell you at Planned Parenthood. While they’re lining their pockets and bank accounts with the blood money from the slaughter of innocents, they never mention that you may later really, really regret the decision they helped you make. And they know it happens because there have been plenty of women who have let them know the pain the eventually feel.
Cheryl, also wanted to point out that there is no such thing as unaffordable reproductive care for women; it is the era of Obamacare and all services are available through county public health and Medicaid programs so no one has to suffer for inability to pay. Actually these services have been available to income-qualified women for decades now; there was never a need to go to PP for any healthcare.
If you prefer it in video form…
https://youtu.be/UiNy5HnDrLQ
Pingback: Time To Stand Against the Baby Killers » Bill Muehlenberg’s CultureWatch
…and remember, they’re doing this because they care so much about women…
This is completely false … especially for having some of these conditions and I go to planned parenthood Nassau county long island. You’re just a bullshitter!
I’m more than happy to update the post. What services does Planned Parenthood provide which are denied here?
I’ve had a mammogram (part of the well woman exam) and treatment for fibroids at planned parenthood Colorado Springs.
Carrie, I’m right in saying that the mammogram was not performed by Planned Parenthood though? It was a referral, yes? Cecile Richards has stated publicly that PP don’t have mammogram machines.
Planned parenthood saved my life so anyone who thinks they only do abortions can fuck off.
Hi WilfeLifeLady, welcome to Restless Pilgrim!
I’m always open to correct factual inaccuracies in any of my posts. What procedure did Planned Parenthood perform which saved your life?
Thanks,
David.
This post is extremely misleading. Why on earth would you be stating all of These random things they dont provide that they do not claim to provide. I have never met anyone who thinks they provide those services. Have you ever been to a planned parenthood? They help with reproductive health, birth control, and family planning. You go there to find out if you are pregnant or what is wrong with you and they give you information and refer you somewhere so you can be treated and make informed decisions. When you go to your primary care doctor when something is wrong with you do they send you to a specialist? Or do they just operate on you in their office? With these referalls and information some women can be seen for their problems being low incom/without insurance. It helps tons of people. I have an appointment for pelvic pain following cecerean tomorrow. They have tons of options for birth control everyone that is currently available so âlimited birth control) is complete bulls**t i got my diaphram there along with spermicide. This post reminds me of watching politicians, uses thr tactic of stating random things to try to distract and sully the opponents name. Its a joke. Yes they give you the option to have am abortion, most i have gone to only have the option for the pill which you can only take up until 9 weeks otherwise they refer you elsewhere. If you want to have thr baby or give adoption which they talk about all the options they give you resources to help accomplish whichever you wish.
By the way you guys know that ypur normal doctor can refer you places to get an abortion as well? Why are you not protesting the normal doctors?! Hmmm oh maybe because its not the doctors choice and they are just a portal that offers you resources to make your own decisions much like planned parenthood!
Hey Madeline, welcome to Restless Pilgrim!
This post has two lists compiled by a former PP manager:
(1) services which Planned Parenthood provides
(2) services which they do not provide
What’s misleading about that?
How many times did President Obama tell us that Planned Parenthood provided mammograms? It’s probably also worth pointing out that there are people in this comment thread who challenge the points made in this post (although when asked for details they don’t respond).
It’s “family planning” which is the seriously problematic part of that list, since it involves the killing of innocent, unborn children. Do you think that’s morally okay?
Unless you want to kill your child, in which case they’ll happily oblige.
Pregnancy isn’t a disease. If something is actually wrong with you, Planned Parenthood will, thankfully, send you to a doctor.
…and those services could still be provided by other places which don’t also dismember children for profit. I’m all for helping people and healing bodies. I’m just not in favour of killing the most helpless people in our society.
I’m pretty sure this is the sense in which they provide “limited birth control”. The direct provision of contraceptives is not in perpetuity.
Planned Parenthood are in the abortion business. They have abortion quotas, not adoption quotas…
This is a company founded by a racist eugenicist which kills children for profit. Is anything else really needed to sully their name?
I literally just got polyps removed at Planned Parenthood, and I’ve had several UTIs treated there as well, so I don’t think all of your information is accurate.
Also, putting “Adoption” in the list of things they don’t provide made me laugh. No, they don’t provide adoption services. They provide healthcare. Does your dentist provide adoption services? If you go to the ER, do they provide adoption services? Does your regular gynecologist provide adoption services? No. A social worker at a hospital might give you adoption referrals UPON REQUEST, but healthcare providers do not routinely adopt out children. Two different functions.
I’m happy to remove this if it’s incorrect (Abby was a former director of Planned Parenthood, so this might be a service they have added since she left there). But just to confirm, this was a procedure performed at a Planned Parenthood clinic by a Planned Parenthood employee, yes? Not simply a referral? If so, which clinic was this?
If PP provide healthcare, do you think pregnancy is a disease?
No, but my dentist doesn’t claim to help women make the best decisions for them and their families.
The problem with this is that pro-choice advocates repeatedly tell me that Planned Parenthood is not in favour of abortions. I’m told that all they want to do is help women, but what this shows is that they’re not especially interested in this, unless it involves killing her child and hitting their abortion quotas.
Maybe planned parenthood is different in different areas. In Philly, not only did Planned Parenthood help me through ovarian cancer testing, but they continue to treat my incredibly bad fibroids with some of the best doctors I’ve ever seen on or off insurance. Additionally they deal with many mens issues, as well as that of trans individuals. They provide every contraceptive on the market, they screen for every STD, and the do breast exams, and your yearly pap. They also did blood testing for anemia, which it turns out I had as a result of the fibroids, and prescribed iron pills and birth control to control the bleeding. It’s sad that in poorer, less educated states folks are trying to close these amazing facilities down. They’d rather see women die of cancer and anemia than get proper women focused health care. It’s a crazy lack of education that makes people hurt their own populations this way. It’s so mind boggling. I hope the planned parenthood in your areas are able to make more services available to you!!
Hey Jennifer, could you please give me some more information? How were these fibroids treated and did this take place in a Planned Parenthood clinic by a Planned Parenthood employee? To be clear, I’m not talking about a referral to somewhere else.
To what are you referring when you say “many mens issues, as well as that of trans individuals”? The other services you list were all mentioned in the main post (contraceptives, STD testing and pap smears). I tried calling a clinic to confirm that they do breast exams by an RN, but I was on hold for ages. Once I’ve confirmed, I’ll add it to the above post.
To be clear, people aren’t trying to shut down clinics because they give women iron pills. They’re trying to shut them down for the three hundred thousand children that are aborted within their facilities every year.