Planned Parenthood Debate Between Friends

Friend 1: It's time to say NO to tax funding a radical pro-abortion agenda and the cover up of sexual abuse and trafficking of young girls: It's time to defund Planned Parenthood. Call your Senator today!

Friend 2: I appreciate your passion for this issue, however I respectfully disagree. Because of the hyde amendment, NO federal funding can go towards abortions. Abortions total only %3 of the women's health services offered by planned parenthood. 97% of their services include cervical cancer screenings, pap smears, treatment of STDs and birth control, That is what this money is paying for. Defunding these services would increase the spread of STDs and unwanted pregnancies which would in turn cause even more abortions.

Friend 3: THANK YOU FRIEND 2!!!!!!

Silmarill: Friend 2 beat me to the punch on the facts. However, I don't think it's accurate to say that planned parenthood has a radical pro-abortion agenda. They support women's reproductive rights. That's hardly radical. So does a majority of the American people. And as women's rights are the law of the land, PP's support for them is actually the status quo. It's difficult to comment on the accusation that planned parenthood approves the "cover up of sexual abuse and trafficking of young girls." Let's just go with, "I call bullshit". Love ya! B)

Friend 2: Silmarill, actually she' right about the abuse allegations. There is video evidence of PP staff assisting undercover journalists acting as pimps and prostitutes in bringing in under age girls for abortions. It's terrible. However, this was the action of a single employee and there is no evidence that this type of behavior is tolerated or encouraged on an administrative level. They did this at several locations and the vast majority turned them away.

Silmarill: I thought it was portrayed as being what you refuted but didn't make the point at the time cuz I was lazy and knew I'd still have to call BS because of the inaccurate portrayal. It was like having a cousin that uses drugs and someone saying that your FAMILY promotes a radical agenda of hard drug use and selling crack and heroin to high school kids. There's one thing wrong with this type of characterization: everything. Also your family would have to have thousands of members, all of whose behavior you are answerable for and convicted because of. It's funny. They have laws against guilt by association.

Friend 1: One out of every four abortions in the U.S. is performed in a Planned Parenthood facility. Data shows that since 1970, Planned Parenthood has performed at least 5.3 million abortions. In 2009 alone, Planned Parenthood performed a record 332,278 abortions. Former Planned Parenthood clinic director Abby Johnson has written that she was given an “abortion quota” and was even told by her superiors to double the number of abortions in order to bring in more revenue. Despite claims made by Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards and members of the media, Planned Parenthood does not provide mammograms. They are also not a significant primary care provider in general. In recent reports, Planned Parenthood acknowledges that it provided primary care only to about 19,700 of its 3 million unduplicated clients. These services have been trending downward for years, from 21,247 in 2007 to 20,235 in 2008, to today’s 19,796. Planned Parenthood’s founder, Margaret Sanger once said that "colored people are human weeds and are to be exterminated, birth control must lead ultimately to a cleaner race...also eugenic sterilization is an urgent need, we must prevent this multiplication of this bad stock". She also started the negro project which has one sole purpose- to elimate the african american from our coulture to create quote better health and planning and Planned Parenthood continues carrying on her legacy today. Do we really want our money going to this kind of organization? As far as Planned Parenthood willing to aid and abet in human sex trafficking of girls as young as 14, well I heard it first hand. Trust me, you would be astonished at some of the things I have seen and heard going into these places...you don't want your money anywhere near them.

Silmarill: Perhaps they do perform one in four. I don't know. What's your source hun? It's possible that a clinic director, who is extremely low on the totem pole and affects only one clinic, said what you said she did. She used to work for them so one might think she'd know. And she must be telling the truth. No one has ever bad mouthed a former employer.;)
I think you are right about the mammograms. Didn't know the CEO had made that claim but maybe they have given a few and she felt justified in making it seem like they do a lot more than they do since they are under attack for providing services that millions of Americans, especially women, cannot afford and/or obtain elsewhere.

I don't think they are a huge primary care provider or that they are organized to be as such. They concentrate their efforts and resources in key areas as David noted: 97% "cervical cancer screenings, pap smears, treatment of STD's and birth control" Birth control is 3% of their budget. Contraception is 35% If 3% of funding is to 332,000 abortions than 35% of funding is to over 3,652,000 abortions prevented. Planned parenthood prevents more abortions than all similar efforts combined. Ta dow =)
They already aren't allowed to use federal money to pay for the abortions they do provide. I think they should have MORE funding so they can PREVENT MORE abortions.
Margaret Sanger is dead. Her opinions don't matter.
Planned parenthood doesn't carry on any legacy except doing what they believe is right with regards to women. You can see their priorities in the services provided above. I think most people think these are moral and invaluable services. I know it's difficult to sanction an organization that provides abortions when you feel so strongly about how wrong they are. If I agreed with you I'd feel similarly. But the fact is we live in a compromised grey world where the same people who provide abortions also prevent the most abortions. If you get rid of them the net result is may times more abortions than they provide. That's worse than where you started. And, if you believe these are all human beings, it means you are going to owe the many more that are aborted one helluva afterlife apology.
Or maybe not. Just the way I see it.
No organization is perfect. Not one. Not even the Catholic church. But you don't hear anyone trying to de-fund them for their mistakes.