Support Planned Parenthood Today!

[elkpark]

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?

[elkpark]

OK. I'll take everything you write here at face value. Granted. And I'll also take PP's statement that abortion is a fraction of what they do, really an insignificant part of their services as a whole. Granted.

There is currently a big on-line fund raising campaign going on for PP asking for financial assistance to continue their mission.

So here's my question, if they get no tax dollars for abortions, and abortion is such an insignificant part of what PP does and it is such a divisive issue and one that is the only impediment from widespread support from across the board, why not just drop that service altogether? It is more of a problem than a benefit to PP and their mission, isn't it? If women's health care is so important to PP it would be a no brainer just to focus on the 97% of the care they offer and increase their support by orders of magnitude.

Why is abortion so important that PP would keep it to the detriment of everything else it does?

Ummm, because they are committed to providing the full range of women's reproductive health services, and because abortion is "so important" to the women that need and want one. Heaven knows, plenty of other providers aren't willing to put up with the protests and demonization that PP puts up with; the factions in society that want to control women's reproductive lives and sexuality have pressured most providers into doing just what you propose; dropping that service because it's not worth the hassle they have to put up with, to the extent that it's v. difficult to obtain an abortion in large parts of the US, despite it being a legitimate, legal healthcare procedure. God bless PP for not knuckling under to the anti-choice pressure!

[morte, LPN, LVN]

OK. I'll take everything you write here at face value. Granted. And I'll also take PP's statement that abortion is a fraction of what they do, really an insignificant part of their services as a whole. Granted.

There is currently a big on-line fund raising campaign going on for PP asking for financial assistance to continue their mission.

So here's my question, if they get no tax dollars for abortions, and abortion is such an insignificant part of what PP does and it is such a divisive issue and one that is the only impediment from widespread support from across the board, why not just drop that service altogether? It is more of a problem than a benefit to PP and their mission, isn't it? If women's health care is so important to PP it would be a no brainer just to focus on the 97% of the care they offer and increase their support by orders of magnitude.

Why is abortion so important that PP would keep it to the detriment of everything else it does?

because they are right.

[ItsThatJenGirl, CNA]

OK. I'll take everything you write here at face value. Granted. And I'll also take PP's statement that abortion is a fraction of what they do, really an insignificant part of their services as a whole. Granted.

There is currently a big on-line fund raising campaign going on for PP asking for financial assistance to continue their mission.

So here's my question, if they get no tax dollars for abortions, and abortion is such an insignificant part of what PP does and it is such a divisive issue and one that is the only impediment from widespread support from across the board, why not just drop that service altogether? It is more of a problem than a benefit to PP and their mission, isn't it? If women's health care is so important to PP it would be a no brainer just to focus on the 97% of the care they offer and increase their support by orders of magnitude.

Why is abortion so important that PP would keep it to the detriment of everything else it does?

ABORTION IS LEGAL. I'm so tired of people ringing their hands over a perfectly legal, acceptable, necessary medical procedure because it makes them uncomfortable! It doesn't matter how it makes you feel. It literally only matters to the person having the abortion, her healthcare provider and whomever she chooses to involve.

This would be like Jehovah's Witnesses trying to make blood transfusions illegal because they disagree with them. It's asinine.

And something being a small part of the overall service of an entity does not make it insignificant.

[Accolay]

so you believe there are no alternatives to Planned Parenthood whose main business model is killing unborn children?

I'm really tired of this. I feel that your comment is intentionally obtuse as if this comment is a parody of the so-called "Pro-Life" argument. That term alone is a political boondoggle to frame the opposition negatively. Those of us who believe PP is vital would say that PP is an alternative to abortion and they do provide those services. I don't know why this is such a difficult concept to impart on top of this "ProLife" dogma, of which tends to be inaccurate at best, and absolute lies at worst.

The truth is that nobody really likes abortion. If you don't believe me, ask someone who has had one. Some abortions are absolutely medically necessary, and in my opinion none of your business. Planned Parenthood's main business model is NOT killing unborn children, stated earlier that it's only around 3% of what it provides. The truth is the whole thing has been used as a wedge issue in politics to get emotions stirred up and win votes for a particular political party.

Could you please be a little more honest about the topic at hand?

[cockadoodie]

ok, so you are educated and a with it kinda gal....sooo why do you end up needing an abortion? seriously, if you aren't in the mood to be a mother how DO so many women end up need this service? its an honest question for grown women, not scared high school girls. this is as honest as its going to get, the poor and ignorant aren't the only patients pp sees. I remember seeing a film in school about women giving birth at home in the slums alone, it was so sad and frightening my lady bits crawled back up inside...... I support choices and don't understand why some people end up needing to make a choice in the first place.as far as politics using a womans nether regions as a tool, YASSSSS, MAAM, and there are plenty taking the bait to vote for men who don't care if you drop dead or give birth.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

ok, so you are educated and a with it kinda gal....sooo why do you end up needing an abortion? seriously, if you aren't in the mood to be a mother how DO so many women end up need this service? its an honest question for grown women, not scared high school girls. this is as honest as its going to get, the poor and ignorant aren't the only patients pp sees. I remember seeing a film in school about women giving birth at home in the slums alone, it was so sad and frightening my lady bits crawled back up inside...... I support choices and don't understand why some people end up needing to make a choice in the first place.as far as politics using a womans nether regions as a tool, YASSSSS, MAAM, and there are plenty taking the bait to vote for men who don't care if you drop dead or give birth.

the abortion rate has gone down over time. many less now than in 1973. more responsible men would help. and sl more than 1/2 of abortions follow failed BC.

[Accolay]

ok, so you are educated and a with it kinda gal....sooo why do you end up needing an abortion? seriously, if you aren't in the mood to be a mother how DO so many women end up need this service? its an honest question for grown women, not scared high school girls. this is as honest as its going to get, the poor and ignorant aren't the only patients pp sees. I remember seeing a film in school about women giving birth at home in the slums alone, it was so sad and frightening my lady bits crawled back up inside...... I support choices and don't understand why some people end up needing to make a choice in the first place.as far as politics using a womans nether regions as a tool, YASSSSS, MAAM, and there are plenty taking the bait to vote for men who don't care if you drop dead or give birth.

I'm sure if you gave it some real thought you could come up with examples of your own.

-Because some people have and enjoy sex and birth control isn't 100% foolproof.

-Because not all pregnancies end up with a viable fetus or other medical reasons for an abortion from people who are actually attempting to have a child. Imagine that. (Sure those protesting outside of clinics haven't thought about that and if they have I firmly believe they don't care because it would conflict with their abortion belief system)

-Because sometimes a partner is abusive and having a kid is a bad idea for them.

Also pointing out that pregnancy resulting from rape doesn't only affect the poor and ignorant.

[offlabel]

ABORTION IS LEGAL. I'm so tired of people ringing their hands over a perfectly legal, acceptable, necessary medical procedure because it makes them uncomfortable! It doesn't matter how it makes you feel. It literally only matters to the person having the abortion, her healthcare provider and whomever she chooses to involve.

This would be like Jehovah's Witnesses trying to make blood transfusions illegal because they disagree with them. It's asinine.

And something being a small part of the overall service of an entity does not make it insignificant.

The argument that something is legal or illegal and therefore non-negotiable for consideration by concerned individuals isn't very strong. Abortion was once illegal. By that logic, it would still be illegal. The converse is true with institutionalized slavery in the US.

The JW example doesn't apply here either, because it doesn't involve a human life that, if left alone, would enter society like anyone else. Abortion isn't just about and individual and her doctor. Among other things, it's also about race and demographics.

The Guttmacher Institute even says that African Americans make up 37% of all abortions in the US. Pretty alarming if you consider that African Americans make up only 13 % of the US population. The CDC says that 40 % of African American pregnancies end in abortion. If the issues are poverty and opportunity, those issues should be addressed, not reducing the number of humans that fall into that demographic.

I'm fully aware that abortion won't be eliminated with a law. It will be eliminated when enough hearts and minds are changed and will be recognized by most people as a counter productive act.

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

I know good kind people whose belief is that life begins for a human being when God breathes breath into him or her (Genesis 2.7).

[morte, LPN, LVN]

The argument that something is legal or illegal and therefore non-negotiable for consideration by concerned individuals isn't very strong. Abortion was once illegal. By that logic, it would still be illegal. The converse is true with institutionalized slavery in the US.

The JW example doesn't apply here either, because it doesn't involve a human life that, if left alone, would enter society like anyone else. Abortion isn't just about and individual and her doctor. Among other things, it's also about race and demographics.

The Guttmacher Institute even says that African Americans make up 37% of all abortions in the US. Pretty alarming if you consider that African Americans make up only 13 % of the US population. The CDC says that 40 % of African American pregnancies end in abortion. If the issues are poverty and opportunity, those issues should be addressed, not reducing the number of humans that fall into that demographic.

I'm fully aware that abortion won't be eliminated with a law. It will be eliminated when enough hearts and minds are changed and will be recognized by most people as a counter productive act.

It will never end. as it should not. it was legal in most USA colonies, and was made illegal in an effort to control women, especially when the women's movement started to heat up. and yes, it is exclusively the woman's choice. if a woman is pregnant, or not, is none of your business.

[ItsThatJenGirl, CNA]

The argument that something is legal or illegal and therefore non-negotiable for consideration by concerned individuals isn't very strong. Abortion was once illegal. By that logic, it would still be illegal. The converse is true with institutionalized slavery in the US.

The JW example doesn't apply here either, because it doesn't involve a human life that, if left alone, would enter society like anyone else. Abortion isn't just about and individual and her doctor. Among other things, it's also about race and demographics.

The Guttmacher Institute even says that African Americans make up 37% of all abortions in the US. Pretty alarming if you consider that African Americans make up only 13 % of the US population. The CDC says that 40 % of African American pregnancies end in abortion. If the issues are poverty and opportunity, those issues should be addressed, not reducing the number of humans that fall into that demographic.

I'm fully aware that abortion won't be eliminated with a law. It will be eliminated when enough hearts and minds are changed and will be recognized by most people as a counter productive act.

My comment that abortion is legal is completely relevant - and the fact that it wasn't in the past only strengthens my argument. Once we know better, we do better. The same applies with slavery.

I'm well aware that abortion rates are directly related to poverty levels, and I agree that the underlying issues of poverty, poor sexual education, lack of access to resources is a huge problem that need to be addressed, but I don't understand how you think that will eliminate abortion. Or why abortion needs to be eliminated entirely. My being pro-choice doesn't mean that I don't recognize and understand that there are underlying issues that need to be addressed that would reduce the number of abortions.

The fact of the matter is, people are against abortion largely because of religious reasons. My issue is that your (general, not you) religious reasons shouldn't be applied to me or my body. Period.

And abortion isn't a counter-productive act when we have over 100,000 kids waiting to be adopted in the US alone. People are more willing to fight for fetuses than the living children with no homes. It baffles me.

[offlabel]

My comment that abortion is legal is completely relevant - and the fact that it wasn't in the past only strengthens my argument. Once we know better, we do better. The same applies with slavery.

I'm well aware that abortion rates are directly related to poverty levels, and I agree that the underlying issues of poverty, poor sexual education, lack of access to resources is a huge problem that need to be addressed, but I don't understand how you think that will eliminate abortion. Or why abortion needs to be eliminated entirely. My being pro-choice doesn't mean that I don't recognize and understand that there are underlying issues that need to be addressed that would reduce the number of abortions.

The fact of the matter is, people are against abortion largely because of religious reasons. My issue is that your (general, not you) religious reasons shouldn't be applied to me or my body. Period.

And abortion isn't a counter-productive act when we have over 100,000 kids waiting to be adopted in the US alone. People are more willing to fight for fetuses than the living children with no homes. It baffles me.

I can tell you that for many in the African American community, this isn't simply a matter of religion. It is a demographic catastrophe.

As to the 100K unadopted kids, that is a tragedy (I have 3 adopted kids), but is the suggestion that because they are foster kids, they're better off dead? How would that have been decided, because all of them have been born in a time when abortion is legal and they weren't aborted.

As to the support for women that do not choose an abortion, there is not a single anti-abortion organization that doesn't provide significant material support for new mom's and their children. The good news is that there are pro-choice foster parents as well as pro-life foster parents.