Kenley Koval
Catherine Coates
English 102
23 January 2023
Topic Discussion and Knowledge Inventory
Women’s healthcare was forever changed with the founding of Planned Parenthood in 1916. The organization provided women with affordable treatments and information, which would have otherwise cost them hundreds or thousands of dollars. I first learned about the Planned Parenthood organization during my freshman year of high school and became interested in the impact they had on women’s healthcare. Planned Parenthood has become controversial over time, as many believe they only perform abortions. I hope this project helps me understand the deeper impact of Planned Parenthood and its effects in different communities.
During my high school experience,
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I first heard about Planned Parenthood while writing a research paper on abortion. My knowledge was also expanded at the peak of the Pro-Life movement. From unknown internet sources, I had heard that Planned Parenthood only performed abortions and was morally bad. However, when I extended my research, I found they did more than abortions, but instead had a major impact on affordable healthcare. According to Planned Parenthood’s annual report for 2018, they performed 4,712,985 STI testing and treatment, 741,352 HIV tests, 2,620,867 birth control information and services, 570,444 breast exams and pap tests, and 70,193 cancer detections (Planned Parenthood). The overwhelming number of people that rely on Planned Parenthood for many lifesaving services, such as cancer screenings and STI tests, shows how impactful the organization is for many people who may have died without their services. Opposers of Planned Parenthood argue that these organizations only provide abortions to women. The National Right to Life organization quotes Planned Parenthood's annual abortion numbers, saying …show more content…
If so, what services are provided and how accessible are they?
- How does the overturning of Roe vs. Wade affect Planned Parenthood and its ability to provide accessible abortions?
- How do different communities view Planned Parenthood? For example, do people living in suburban areas have drastically different opinions than those living in urban areas? Also, diving deeper into the viewpoints from different states and different political parties.
- Does Planned Parenthood provide virtual resources for patients? If so, what do they provide and how many people use these services?
- Which demographic of people uses services from Planned Parenthood the most? What demographic is seeking the most abortions?
Overall, access to Planned Parenthood is very important to all communities. It provides services to communities that wouldn’t have had access to otherwise. While I thought what I knew what set in stone, this is not true. With the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, what I thought I knew is changing. Learning more information about the true impact of Planned Parenthood can help myself and others, form their own opinion and learn more about the significant impact of Planned