Megan Garringer
Staff Writer
In mid-February, the Trump administration announced a new federal rule stating that organizations who provide abortion resources, namely Planned Parenthood, would no longer receive government funding for family-planning, according to The New York Times. This cut in funding will prove disastrous to people in the United States.
Along with providing abortion services, Planned Parenthood provides Sexually Transmitted Disease testing, birth control, screening for reproductive cancers, vaccines, condoms, sterilization and more. Even for those who don’t support abortion, these services are crucial to general reproductive health. Planned Parenthood has made an impact on struggling families and teens who are not self-sufficient, both of which can be found on Costa’s campus.
In the South Bay we are fortunate to have several Planned Parenthood locations in Lawndale as well as the Los Angeles area.
This rule does not ban abortions outright; abortions can still be performed legally, but the procedure must be kept from Planned Parenthood’s records and activities. For many years, companies have been prohibited from using government funds to support abortion. This rule is the most recent step by the Trump administration to shift the direction of federal health policy in a conservative direction, insuring abortions will be done in separate facilities from the rest of Planned Parenthood’s services. The organization has been in service for over a century, and they are only expanding their influence to other countries around the globe. According to a Guttmacher report, nearly 4 in 10 women report that Planned Parenthood is their sole source of health care available.
Although it doesn’t affect every student at Costa, some students do not have affordable access to health care. A basic right to protect one’s body should not have to be kept under wraps and treated like something to be ashamed about.
Given the amount of good Planned Parenthood does for the country and women everywhere, it should be given the liberty to conduct safe and logical medical practices for those in need. Doctors should not have to put women’s well-being aside to follow a law; the professionals at Planned Parenthood are trained experts on abortion and pregnancy and their judgement should not be hindered by conservative pro-life supporters who have no connection or experience with the cases. Doctors need to be able to give full care and attention to each and every woman, but not being able to discuss abortion prohibits that.
Planned Parenthood President Dr. Leana Wen argued, “Imagine if the Trump administration prevented doctors from talking to our patients with diabetes about insulin. It would never happen. Reproductive health care should be no different.” Women deserve the right to make their own decisions about their body without influence from lawmakers. Not being able to have access to important resources inhibits women from taking care of the most important thing in life: their personal health. Planned Parenthood provides valuable resources on STDs, depression and vaccinations. This federal law, known as the “protect life rule,” separates family planning agencies from abortion clinics, which will only have negative impacts.
With the major cuts in funding, companies like Planned Parenthood will have to raise their prices to continue supporting the 1.6 million people it currently cares for. Moving forward, this means more women with a low-income lifestyle will not have access to basic reproductive health care that should be a basic human right.
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