Blog Stage Six

            My classmate wrote on his last blog a commentary titled “FederalGovernment should defund Planned Parenthood which offers abortion services” in which he states that he supports President Trumps statements of defunding Planned Parenthood. Another colleague of mine (Carlos M) also chose this blog to comment on and made the point that people are under the impression that abortions are illegal when they are in fact, completely legal. And yes, it is true that the federal funding they receive is a reimbursement from Medicaid for services that women receive at these clinics but abortions only account for 3% of their services rendered. As someone without medical insurance, I can personally tell you that Planned Parenthood is a lifesaver. They offer pap smears, pregnancy tests, and STD tests, among other things, at only a fraction of what a doctor’s office would charge you. I used Planned Parenthood last year to get a pregnancy test so I could have a referral for a doctor. My experience there was such a pleasant one. Once I took the test, they congratulated me and asked me what my plans were for the future. They never once asked me if I was considering an abortion, and when I told them that I was hoping to get pregnant, they were ecstatic and extremely supportive of my decision. So even though they offer abortions, they in no way suggest or even mention abortion unless it is something that you want to discuss.   

                His second argument is that abortions are not something that should be convenient or easily accessible and young people should learn to take responsibility for their actions. Why does no one consider the cost of raising a child? What if the mother was on contraceptives but still managed to get pregnant? Maybe the responsible thing is not to subject a child to a life or poverty and hardship on account of an accident. I have a three-month-old baby girl at home and she takes up all my energy, but I stay up late and make sacrifices to care for her because I wanted this responsibility. Not to mention the physical burden that a woman’s body takes on to create another life. When abortion clinics are not made accessible to women, they often have to suffer unnecessarily due to negligence from abusive doctors. Before Planned Parenthood was made available, women would get abortions without anesthesia, in unsanitary conditions, and sometimes even suffered sexual abuse from the doctors preforming the procedure. So maybe put yourself in someone else’s shoes before prematurely judging someone’s unique situation and their decision.