Support Planned Parenthood Today!

Nurses Activism

Updated:   Published

I see in the news that anti-choice organizations are planning demonstrations today at Planned Parenthood facilities around the US to support GOP plans to defund PP.

Of course, my first thought was to grab a sign (and my, ummm, "kittyhat"!) and head for my local facility to show my support for PP, but I also see in the news that PP offices are asking that supporters not show up at the facilities to counter-protest (because they don't want the crowds of protesters any larger or more chaotic than necessary as women are trying to get in and out for services).

Some communities are planning counter-demonstrations in other venues, but I haven't been able to find any information about any events planned in my city.

So, I've decided to set aside the time planned for the anti-choice demonstration in my city today to contact all my elected representatives, from the White House down to my state legislators, and Tom Price at DHHS, to remind them that I support PP and am strongly opposed to any efforts to restrict women's reproductive rights or Planned Parenthood's access to public healthcare dollars as a legitimate healthcare provider.

I hope PP supporters here will consider doing the same, and spread the word to people you know. I hope people all over the country will have the same thought. Wouldn't it be great if, while comparatively small groups of protesters are standing out in the cold and snow with their signs, huge numbers of Americans were flooding mail boxes and switchboards around the country with messages of support for PP, women's health, and reproductive rights?

Thank God for the compassion of Planned Parenthood; always there to abort these unwanted, costly kids. We've done these children and society a favor. Could you imagine being born if you weren't planned or your family was poor or your Dad was jerk and didn't want you, or you had an intellectual disability, or had some kind of physical deformity? Better off dead for sure.... It's women's health and public service. Certainly eugenics supporter and founder Margaret Sanger would be proud; getting rid of the inconvenient and undesirables. Frosting on the cake is STD treatment and contraception, which, we all know, isn't available anywhere else (hence the need for taxpayer dollars). Don't worry about the disproportionate number of clinics in minority neighborhoods; has nothing to do with the racist underpinnings of its founder...and don't believe the undercover videos or numerous accounts of PP selling baby parts, pushing abortion quotas, giving referrals to rogue facilities for patients seeking late term abortions, not asking questions when presented with obviously underage girls being trafficked by pimps, and not blinking an eye when asked to do multiple sex selective abortions (we all know how it is when your husband really wants a boy to carry on the family name). No, all that is just Fake News, alternative facts, & hysterical lies by those anti choice people who don't care about equal rights and women getting the health care they need. Oh, please remember not to call for a mammogram. Their tiny budget hasn't allowed them to invest in that service yet. But do remember, they are the largest abortion provider in the United States, and very proud of it. So grab your girlfriends & your lady parts hats ladies; time to march and celebrate the great work of Planned Parenthood.

elkpark said:
I see in the news that anti-choice organizations are planning demonstrations today at Planned Parenthood facilities around the US to support GOP plans to defund PP.

Of course, my first thought was to grab a sign (and my, ummm, "kittyhat"!) and head for my local facility to show my support for PP, but I also see in the news that PP offices are asking that supporters not show up at the facilities to counter-protest (because they don't want the crowds of protesters any larger or more chaotic than necessary as women are trying to get in and out for services).

Some communities are planning counter-demonstrations in other venues, but I haven't been able to find any information about any events planned in my city.

So, I've decided to set aside the time planned for the anti-choice demonstration in my city today to contact all my elected representatives, from the White House down to my state legislators, and Tom Price at DHHS, to remind them that I support PP and am strongly opposed to any efforts to restrict women's reproductive rights or Planned Parenthood's access to public healthcare dollars as a legitimate healthcare provider.

I hope PP supporters here will consider doing the same, and spread the word to people you know. I hope people all over the country will have the same thought. Wouldn't it be great if, while comparatively small groups of protesters are standing out in the cold and snow with their signs, huge numbers of Americans were flooding mail boxes and switchboards around the country with messages of support for PP, women's health, and reproductive rights?

We attended a rally in support of Planned Parenthood yesterday - it was great being surrounded by men and women that trust women to make the healthcare choices that are best for them! I felt really valued and safe there.

I took my girls, too - I want to teach them early how to use their voice and stand up for the things that they believe in.

Thank you for your post, OP, I just hope that women in need of medical care continue to be able to find it from safe, non-judgemental providers. I'm lucky to have only worked OB in the post-RVW era but some of the nurses and doctors I work with have seen women die from unsafe abortions and are terrified that our ED is going to fill up with that again... not to mention women dying from unscreened but preventable cancers, women infertile from untreated STIs, a second nationwide HIV/AIDS outbreak like what happened in Indiana under Gov. Pence...

Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

I would have no problem with PP if it didn't do abortions. They offer services that help prevent abortions and generally do a lot of good in the community, but I think they should be funded by private persons and corporations, not the taxpayers. Are the protesters willing to put their money where their mouth is?

Personally, I would rather my tax dollars go toward providing free birth control and education for women and girls. Abortion is not "women's health care", it's the deliberate destruction of a completely innocent human being. And there's no way to make that right IMHO.

Specializes in Hospice.

Viva, I would agree with you more if my tax dollars weren't being used to promote the taking of innocent human life through unjust wars, militarized police forces, the excessive pollution of poor neighborhoods and countries - for a start.

That's not to mention the religious dogma being pushed as "science" by many, if not most, crisis pregnancy centers which are also funded, at least in part, by my taxes. If PP is to be "defunded", then so should they.

elkpark said:
Okay -- so I'm sure you feel the same about the American Cancer Society, the United Way, the American Heart Association, the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the Boy Scouts of America, and the Alzheimer's Association, the CEOs of which all make more than $1 million annually. Shoot, the CEO of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation makes more than $2 million a year! I agree it seems like a lot of money, but a $600k CEO salary is actually pretty modest and responsible in the world of national nonprofits and charities.

And American taxpayers aren't "forced" to give them millions of dollars annually. When women and men (yes, PP provides healthcare services to men, also) with Medicaid or Medicare healthcare coverage get physical exams, Pap smears, cancer screenings, family planning/contraception services and supplies, or HIV or STD screenings, Medicaid and Medicare pay for those services, the same as they would if those individuals got those healthcare services from any other healthcare provider. Is there something wrong with that? That's most of the Federal money that goes to PP. They also get some funding under Title X, which is a Federal program that provides funds to make family planning services available to low income individuals; agencies apply for grants under Title X and, if they meet the program's criteria, they get some money to provide those services. PP, along with lots of other agencies and organizations, including lots of state and local public health departments, meets the program criteria and requirements to qualify for grant money. Again, is there something wrong with that? Do you propose that PP somehow be singled out to not be eligible for Title X funding, unlike all the other agencies that get money under Title X? Why??

Charity Highest Paid | Charity Top Compensation | Charity Ratings | Charity Rankings | CharityWatch

Title X Family Planning | HHS.gov

9 Things People Get Wrong About Planned Parenthood

THANK YOU elkpark. I wish people would bother to try and understand issues before coming down so hard on one side or the other. It isn't about abortions. No federal money pays for abortions. It is about allowing women access to (often life saving) care that is very much in need. All of the false narratives that have been put out to discredit PP are only hurting our country.

And thank you for the links at the bottom of your post

VivaLasViejas said:
I would have no problem with PP if it didn't do abortions. They offer services that help prevent abortions and generally do a lot of good in the community, but I think they should be funded by private persons and corporations, not the taxpayers. Are the protesters willing to put their money where their mouth is?

Personally, I would rather my tax dollars go toward providing free birth control and education for women and girls. Abortion is not "women's health care", it's the deliberate destruction of a completely innocent human being. And there's no way to make that right IMHO.

Your tax dollars are not paying for abortions; they are paying specifically for the other services which you say you support.

cocoa_puff said:
Why isn't Planned Parenthood a non-profit charitable organization??? I'm sure it could function at the same capacity with donations. Then instead of protesting and acting like the world is ending, people (including wealthy celebrities) could be proactive by donating money to support PP. If people believe in what PP is doing, they can give money, those who are against PP should not have to.

Also, defunding PP is NOT the same thing as making abortion illegal (I'm pro-life, but understand that women have the right to make their own decisions, even if I do not agree). Let's just make that clear....

It is a non-profit healthcare organization. People make donations. They get reimbursed by Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance companies for the healthcare services they provide. Why is that so hard for people to grasp? "Non-profit" doesn't mean that it doesn't charge for the services it provides.

The major academic medical center for which I work is a non-profit organization. It provides a wide range of healthcare services, including a small number of therapeutic abortions. It gets reimbursed by insurance companies, Medicare, and Medicaid for the healthcare services it provides (except that Federal funds can't pay for abortions). People also make donations to the medical center. Is there something wrong with that? Do you think that it should not charge for the healthcare services it provides, and try to survive on donations alone? How well do you think that would work out for my employer, and the other non-profit healthcare organizations around the country? I don't see people out in front of hospitals, picketing and demanding that Congress "defund" them because they sometimes perform abortions.

You (anti-choice people collectively) have already gotten your special exclusive exception for abortion services, that your sensibilities are so delicate that your tax dollars can't be used to pay for legitimate, legal healthcare services to which you object. Give it up already!! I object strongly to the way Catholic hospitals deal with issues of reproductive health, and I can't imagine ever being willing to patronize or support a Catholic hospital for that reason, but I'm not out picketing and demanding that Catholic hospitals be stripped of their ability to receive Medicaid and Medicare funding for the other services they provide because of that.

elkpark said:
It is a non-profit healthcare organization. People make donations. They get reimbursed by Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance companies for the healthcare services they provide. Why is that so hard for people to grasp? "Non-profit" doesn't mean that it doesn't charge for the services it provides.

The major academic medical center for which I work is a non-profit organization. It provides a wide range of healthcare services, including a small number of therapeutic abortions. It gets reimbursed by insurance companies, Medicare, and Medicaid for the healthcare services it provides (except that Federal funds can't pay for abortions). People also make donations to the medical center. Is there something wrong with that? Do you think that it should not charge for the healthcare services it provides, and try to survive on donations alone? How well do you think that would work out for my employer, and the other non-profit healthcare organizations around the country? I don't see people out in front of hospitals, picketing and demanding that Congress "defund" them because they sometimes perform abortions.

You (anti-choice people collectively) have already gotten your special exclusive for abortion services, that your sensibilities are so delicate that your tax dollars can't be used to pay for legitimate, legal healthcare services to which you object. Give it up already!! I object strongly to the way Catholic hospitals deal with issues of reproductive health, and I can't imagine ever being willing to patronize or support a Catholic hospital for that reason, but I'm not out picketing and demanding that Catholic hospitals be stripped of their ability to receive Medicaid and Medicare funding for the other services they provide because of that.

Elk, I have always enjoyed reading your posts and appreciate your viewpoints but can I just ask you for one thing? For the record I am pro-life but I do not believe that de-funding planned parenthood is in the best interest of women. Nor do I participate in the shaming of women who utilize their services whatever they may be. But in the interest of open dialogue and sharing of different viewpoints I would ask that you refrain from using the pejorative "anti-choice". I do not call you anti-life or pro-death or even pro-abortion. You identify as "pro-choice" and I respect that. I am decidedly not anti-choice because I believe and support that women have many choices when it comes to their reproductive health. I just have a moral opposition to one of those choices. Please don't lump all of us into the stereotype of the radical, right-wing lunatic, hate spewing, quasi-religious thugs as we are so often portrayed and I will do the same for you. :shy:

Asbestos undies at the ready.:blink:

VivaLasViejas said:
I would have no problem with PP if it didn't do abortions. They offer services that help prevent abortions and generally do a lot of good in the community, but I think they should be funded by private persons and corporations, not the taxpayers. Are the protesters willing to put their money where their mouth is?

Personally, I would rather my tax dollars go toward providing free birth control and education for women and girls. Abortion is not "women's health care", it's the deliberate destruction of a completely innocent human being. And there's no way to make that right IMHO.

The bold is what I'm directly responding to.

So, when I was brutally raped, and wound up pregnant because of it, that wasn't a health care issue for me? When my sister found out that she was pregnant with a baby that had trisomy 13 and would not live, that wasn't a women's health care issue? When my friend became pregnant in an abusive relationship and didn't want to bring a baby into such a volatile situation, increasing the risk to both her and the fetus, that's not a women's health care issue, either?

I understand not liking abortion, I really do. I'm firmly pro-choice and *I* don't like the idea of abortion. But it doesn't matter what I like or believe, or what you like or believe unless you're the one faced with a very serious, very difficult choice. And the last thing that people need when they are in that situation is other people bringing their morals and ethics into the equation.

For the record, 2 of the 3 people in my personal examples didn't have the abortion. But they were all glad it was an option that was presented gently and without judgement.

And I do donate to Planned Parenthood regularly.

Specializes in Travel, Home Health, Med-Surg.

Most people who are against Federal funding for Planned Parenthood are against just that, against Federal Funding! Planned Parenthood is a multibillion dollar organization that does not need Federal funds (ie tax payers money) to operate. If this (Fed dollars) is taken away they will still receive state money (Medicaid/Medical). Regardless of which side you are on (pro-choice, pro-life) Planned Parenthood does not need Federal funds on top of State funds. Also, there are many other choices/places for women to receive care besides planned parenthood, this is just not true that people want to take away women's rights or take away health care from women just because we don't want Federal money going to PP.

Daisy4RN said:
Most people who are against Federal funding for Planned Parenthood are against just that, against Federal Funding! Planned Parenthood is a multibillion dollar organization that does not need Federal funds (ie tax payers money) to operate. If this (Fed dollars) is taken away they will still receive state money (Medicaid/Medical). Regardless of which side you are on (pro-choice, pro-life) Planned Parenthood does not need Federal funds on top of State funds. Also, there are many other choices/places for women to receive care besides planned parenthood, this is just not true that people want to take away women's rights or take away health care from women just because we don't want Federal money going to PP.

Can you please clarify what you think federal funding is?

It's mostly medicaid, and a bit of Title X (which is a government program designed to allow people under the poverty level access to healthcare). A person with medicaid goes to get a pap smear and birth control - PP bills medicaid (like any other doctor office) and gets their reimbursement. These two programs account for around 60% of their funding. Cutting that would essentially destroy the programs that are available, even the ones we agree on.

I'd really like someone to intelligently discuss how they think defunding will work going forward, and why it's necessary.

And in case people don't know, federal funding does not pay for abortions except in cases of rape/incest or potential harm to the mother.

Statutes and Regulations | HHS.gov

+ Add a Comment