Texan Mosaic

Misplaced moral controversy clouds judgement regarding planned parenthood

by: PAMELA GANDY/Entertainment Editor

Planned Parenthood has been the center of many political, legal, and moral debates during the past year.

One of the biggest arguments against the organization is that they are “immoral” because they perform abortions. However, I find that the controversy about abortion has little to do with Planned Parenthood. Only 3 percent of the services performed by the organization are abortions. Being pro-life or pro-choice should have nothing to do with your opinion on Planned Parenthood, because there are numerous other beneficial and necessary services that they provide.

The most recent and dramatic arguments against the non-profit are those surrounding the allegations that Planned Parenthood sold fetal tissue for medical research. This argument is weak, and the situation has been propagandized. The videos which show the alleged sale of fetal tissue, do show a discussion of monetary reimbursement. However, the money that is to be exchanged is for the cost of the transport of the tissue.

Planned Parenthood is a non-profit organization, which means that they cannot receive money beyond what is needed to pay expenses for their staff and services. The donation of tissue for medical research is perfectly legal. Furthermore, it has countless benefits. This research has the potential to lead to numerous treatments and cures for diseases. Currently, fetal tissue is being used to test and analyze treatment for Parkinson’s disease.

The movement to defund Planned Parenthood is primarily motivated by the idea that American taxpayers are paying for abortions. Many people believe that taxpayers should not be responsible for financing abortions, because so many people are against them. This is completely inaccurate, simply because the abortions performed at Planned Parenthood are not funded by taxpayers. The Hyde Amendment, which was passed in 1976, prohibits the funding of abortions by federal money. The financial support that Planned Parenthood receives from taxpayers and the federal government helps them to provide contraception. If all funding to Planned Parenthood ceased tomorrow, abortion costs would not be affected. The only result would be the increase in price for contraception. This would, in turn, likely increase the number of abortions provided.

All of this misinformation and propaganda has given Planned Parenthood a bad reputation with many Americans. However, it is an organization which deserves respect, due to the various services they provide to men, women, and children. Planned Parenthood provides testing and treatment for STI’s, reversible and emergency contraception, female sterilization procedures, treatment for vasectomy patients, cancer screenings, cancer prevention information, pregnancy tests, prenatal services, abortion procedures, family practice services, and adoption referrals to other agencies. Planned Parenthood also works with other partners to provide reproductive health care and education in developing countries.

The misplaced moral controversy has clouded the judgment of many Americans regarding Planned Parenthood. I believe that they are an organization that provides numerous health care services. The allegations of corruption and illegal activity are being misused to defend a moral argument.

Planned Parenthood responsible for mouse of federal funding

by:MAKENZIE MEANS/Staff Writer

Just hearing the name “Planned Parenthood” makes me cringe.

The name doesn’t make me think about the free health care to women or women’s health. But I do think about the recent horrible controversy surrounding the organization.

What I am talking about is the disturbing videos regarding the abortions Planned Parenthood offers and what they do with what I call babies after killing them. I’ll go ahead and mention now that they are federally funded by our tax dollars.

I think that Planned Parenthood should not be funded by the federal government. I do not want my tax dollars going to such an allegedly corrupt organization. I shouldn’t be forced to pay for abortions and the illegal harvesting of baby organs. I’m mentioning these disturbing things because I think it is important for people to be informed about where their tax dollars are going.

Since July, several undercover videos have been released. In one of the videos, an executive for Planned Parenthood admitted to selling the aborted “fetal tissue,” or the baby’s tissue, for money, which is illegal. In another video, a Planned Parenthood employee talks about how they position the baby in a certain way so that they can harvest certain organs, which is also illegal.

Planned Parenthood doesn’t want to show the woman an ultrasound because they don’t want her to change her mind. But they aren’t against doing an ultrasound so they can harvest the organs they want. Another video showed an aborted baby, and it was very obviously a developing baby, being picked apart like it was a science project. In this video, the Planned Parenthood employees went in to disgusting and shocking detail about how they retrieve the organs they want. An ex-employee of Planned Parenthood stated that one baby was aborted but came out partially alive, and they eventually killed it.

A woman who went in for an abortion described the room as dirty and said there was still bloody gauze from an abortion before her. If Planned Parenthood cares about women’s health, then I would think that they would have the best sanitation and a clean environment in their offices. However, Planned Parenthood is just interested in making a profit from the murder of an innocent life.

Planned Parenthood seems like they will do anything to get their tissue donation or harvest the organs. A woman who received an abortion spoke out against Planned Parenthood, saying that they manipulated her into donating the baby’s tissue. She repeatedly told them she didn’t want to donate the baby’s tissue, but they wouldn’t perform the abortion unless she signed the consent form for tissue donation. To me, this does not sound like an organization that cares about the health of women, but an organization interested in its own gain.

Many people are against the defunding of Planned Parenthood because it offers free healthcare to women and men. There are people who say that abortions only represent a small part of what they do. The fact is that hardly any of the Planned Parenthood offices have mammogram machines or other health equipment for their services. They offer services such as abortion, STD testing, pregnancy tests, breast cancer screenings, birth control, morning-after pill and even vasectomies.

According to Planned Parenthood, in 2013, they provided 10.6 million services for 2.7 million clients. The United States has roughly 320 million people, which means less than 1 percent of the population depended on Planned Parenthood. If someone is struggling so much that he or she must turn to Planned Parenthood for free services, then they most likely are eligible for federal or state-funded health care insurance. I believe that Planned Parenthood is unnecessary and a waste of tax-payer dollars.

According to the 2013-2014 annual report by Planned Parenthood, they receive $528.4 million from government grants. If the government was to defund Planned Parenthood, that money could be used to fund other government programs, such as the VA or even the state health care insurance. There is so much more that our country could do with that $528.4 million besides fund a company that is admitting to doing illegal things.