By Julia Tarnow ’17  and Ellie Pitkowsky ’18, Staff Writers

In 1972, the Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade gave women the rights that they have always deserved. The court ruled that no state can prohibit an abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy and that regulations on the second trimester can only be made when the mother’s life is in danger. Only during the third trimester is the fetus’s life able to be protected by law.

The emergence of the case Roe v. Wade was due to the fact that in most states, abortions were either highly restricted or banned. Because this practice was prohibited, medical centers could not address the needs of many women, which caused them to risk their lives when they attempted to perform the act themselves. Feminists became outraged by the fact that women, by law, were unable to make such an important decision about their own bodies and lives.

Because of their efforts, women today have the ability to choose whether or not they want to bring life into the world. Women are free to make the decisions that they should have the liberty to make. Why would we want to reverse this? By defunding Planned Parenthood, we are taking colossal steps back to a time when a woman did not have the right to choose her fate.

Abortion is a controversial topic that our country has faced for a long time. Many people believe that a life is a life from the moment it is conceived; therefore abortion is a form of murder. Others do not believe that life is formed until the third trimester, when the fetus is “viable” or able to live its life outside of the womb. While every person is entitled to his or her own opinion, we are pro-choice because the choice needs to be made by the mother. First of all, childbirth is not an easy feat by any means, and if a woman does not want to go through that process, she should not have to. And the hardship doesn’t end at birth. Having a child is physically, economically, and emotionally draining. If a woman is not willing to donate a huge part of her life to the child, then she should not have to. Once again, it is her decision. Many might say that adoption is always an answer if a woman does not want to go through with raising her child, but adoption can be an emotional hardship. If women do not want to put themselves through that kind of challenge, then they should not have to. Planned Parenthood provides women with the option to choose their own fate in a safe and supportive environment.

The entire proposal to defund such an important organization started a couple months ago in July. The Center for Medical Progress released a video of two anti­abortion activists posing as employees from a biotech firm interviewing the senior director of Planned Parenthood’s medical research, Deborah Nucatola. The video more or less accuses the organization of selling fetal parts, which is illegal in the United States. In reality, Planned Parenthood donates their fetuses to companies that use them for medical research, but does not sell them. A Washington Post article about the video says, “ The Planned Parenthood official says the organization is ‘very, very sensitive’ about being perceived as illegally profiting from organ sales and charges only for the cost, for instance, of shipping the tissue.”[1] Charging for cost of transportation and things of this sort is not illegal in our country, therefore, Planned Parenthood did nothing wrong. However, this video provoked unrest in some state governments, including Florida, Texas, Georgia, and South Carolina, which prompted a government investigation into the tissue program and the Planned Parenthood organization altogether.

The states that are so outraged by the video took it to extremes and are trying to use it to further their goal of completely prohibiting abortions. We can see their agenda by looking at radical regulations that states like Texas have passed over the years, which make it nearly impossible to have an abortion clinic. As a consequence, the amount of abortion clinics in Texas has dropped over 50% since 2012.[2] Defunding Planned Parenthood is the next step towards reaching their overall objective.

Although many people see Planned Parenthood as a place to receive abortion services, that is only 3% of what the organization does. The majority of Planned Parenthood’s services is comprised of STD testing and treatment for both males and females, in addition to cancer screenings, contraception, and prenatal care. The organization takes all major health insurance to pay for these services, but if a person does not have health insurance, the federal funding program called Title X applies. Title X allows Planned Parenthood to supplement birth control, gynecological care, and other reproductive health services for people who cannot pay full price for health care services. Essentially, Title X guarantees a person’s right to these important services regardless of his or her financial status. Without government funding, these services would be terminated, and men and women would not be able to receive the care they need.

We have progressed too much since the 20^th century to start taking steps backwards. If the government decides to defund Planned Parenthood permanently, then the lives of uninsured women and men who cannot afford other medical services would be at risk. In addition, it would take away the woman’s right to her own body that she won many years ago. Defunding Planned Parenthood would be detrimental to the progress of feminism and the basic needs of human health. If we are to move forward to a society where equality between the sexes truly exists, Planned Parenthood needs to continue to be funded.

This article reflects the opinion of two staff writers, not The Minuteman as a whole. To share your opinion, comment below! Also be sure to check out an alternate viewpoint by staff writer Spencer Glassman ’19. 

Sources: http://www.politifact.com/truth­o­meter/article/2015/aug/05/politifact­sheet­8­things­know­about­plan­national/

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/07/planned­parenthood­abortion­the­war­is­over

http://www.abort73.com/abortion_facts/us_abortion_law/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/undercover­video­shows­planned­parenthood­exec­discussing­organ­harvesting/2015/07/14/ae330e34­2a4d­11e5­bd33­395c05608059_story.html

http://www.ushistory.org/us/57d.asp

[1] Paquette, Danielle, and Sandhya Somashekhar. “Undercover Video Shows Planned Parenthood Official Discussing Fetal Organs Used for Research.” Washington Post. July 14, 2015. Accessed September 25, 2015.

[2] Redden, Molly, and Donna Ferrato.” The War on Women Is Over – and Women Lost.” Mother Jones. September 1, 2015. Accessed September 26, 2015.