Planned Parenthood, how critical are they to Womens Health?

I had an argument with my nephew yesterday, regarding Planned Parenthood, and the critical roll they play in our society by providing health care to millions of American Women. He tells me that they dont use any Federal money to pay for abortions. The money they will loose if funding is cut off will cut off all the other services they provide, which will have a huge impact on womens health.

This is the pie chart he used to validate his argument.

Lets put Abortion off the table for a minute. And look at the other 97% of their services.

Their services are pretty much limited to paps, birth control and treating sexually transmitted diseases. But, all these services are provided at any Clinic or Drs office in America. Wouldnt we be better off to give our tax dollars to clinics that not only offer the same services, but also provide medical health for the whole family?

When I take Abortion off the table, it becomes clear (to me at least) that they are irrelevant to womens health. And actually the money they receive is draining a health care system that needs all the help it can get. Defunding Planned Parenthood isnt going to make Abortions illegal. And the services they provide, are already available.

His argument: Women are too shy or embarrassed to go to their own drs for stds and paps. In my book that just isnt a good enough reason to keep funding them.

Anyone else have an opinion on this??

a reply to: misskat1

Wouldnt we be better off to give our tax dollars to clinics that not only offer the same services, but also provide medical health for the whole family?

Planned Parenthood specializes in "family planning", and they receive reimbursements from Medicare/Medicaid, just like any other doctor, for the qualifying services that they provide. Would you deny a pediatrician reimbursement because he doesn't offer family planning or treat daddy's erectile dysfunction?

His argument: Women are too shy or embarrassed to go to their own drs for stds and paps. In my book that just isnt a good enough reason to keep funding them.

Women who use Planned Parenthood don't have family doctors or insurance.

originally posted by: misskat1
I had an argument with my nephew yesterday, regarding Planned Parenthood, and the critical roll they play in our society by providing health care to millions of American Women. He tells me that they dont use any Federal money to pay for abortions. The money they will loose if funding is cut off will cut off all the other services they provide, which will have a huge impact on womens health.

This is the pie chart he used to validate his argument.

Lets put Abortion off the table for a minute. And look at the other 97% of their services.

Their services are pretty much limited to paps, birth control and treating sexually transmitted diseases. But, all these services are provided at any Clinic or Drs office in America. Wouldnt we be better off to give our tax dollars to clinics that not only offer the same services, but also provide medical health for the whole family?

When I take Abortion off the table, it becomes clear (to me at least) that they are irrelevant to womens health. And actually the money they receive is draining a health care system that needs all the help it can get. Defunding Planned Parenthood isnt going to make Abortions illegal. And the services they provide, are already available.

His argument: Women are too shy or embarrassed to go to their own drs for stds and paps. In my book that just isnt a good enough reason to keep funding them.

Anyone else have an opinion on this??

I was listening to Hannity the other day and he was interviewing an anti-abortion woman who called like 100 planned parenthood facilities and only like 3 or 4 offered any kind of "women's health" beyond abortions and the ones that did offer other services actually just referred the patient out to other clinics. It was pretty clear that PP is just an abortion mill hiding under "women's health".

I'd be curious as to how that chart is developed. What is the underlying data?

Too embarrassed for what?

Play stupid games win stupid prizes.

PP isnt the only place in America that treats STDs for petes sake, go to a doctor. Your physician needs to know if you had an STD to help you in the best way possible, any doctor would recommend staying with one doc as opposed to multiple treatments from multiple docs.

"You have internal scarring, do you know what may have..."

"Uh.. its nothing... that weird... hehehe..." *GULP*

Embarrassed isnt an option when it comes to your health

a reply to: Edumakated

bull shiot! I used pp when I was a young divorced single mom. I went there for checkups and birth control. and, guess what?? I paid for those visits! birth control was about $10 dollars less than pharmacy prices and the checkup about $50. so much disinformation out there it's ridiculous.

a reply to: misskat1

Its insane that tax payers are forced to pay for abortions.

That is all.

Carry on.

a reply to: Edumakated

Here is the link to the chart he quoted:
www.factcheck.org...

a reply to: gladtobehere

your tax money does not pay for abortions.


that is all.


carry on.

Anyone else have an opinion on this??

Planned parenthood should not even exist.

Not in the era of doctors offices,hospitals,clinics,free clinic, medicaid(created specifically for the poor), and the Affordable Care Act.

It's not the only place in town to get care, some people need to stop acting like it is.

a reply to: knoxie

Your right, tax dollars dont pay for the abortion. It only pays to keep nurses on staff, the rent paid and other mundane office bills. But the actual abortion isnt paid for with Tax dollars. So there should be no issue if funding is cut, and women get these same services from their dr. or clinic.

I am pro choice for everyone. Including the people who no longer choose to fund PP.

originally posted by: misskat1
a reply to: Edumakated

Here is the link to the chart he quoted:
www.factcheck.org...

As I figured, it doesn't really get into the data and the methodology other than stating 11.4 million "services" performed. That doesn't tell us anything. How do we define services? For example, is the simple act of handing out a condom considered a "service". So if they handed out 10 million condoms, they can claim 90% of their services are for women's health as each condom is counted at 1 service but if they do 100,000 abortions they can also claim that only like 1 percent of their "Services" are abortions? See how that can be misleading.

I am not picking sides as this is an issue I somewhat straddle the fence on, but the data presented doesn't add up.

a reply to: Edumakated

I have to go to work, or I would dig up some more info, cause I dont believe those stats either.

originally posted by: misskat1
a reply to: Edumakated

Here is the link to the chart he quoted:
www.factcheck.org...

Posted on April 18, 2011

From 2009 ?
Wow
Cherry picking the year ?
Question everything

a reply to: misskat1

You know that private physicians also do abortions, right? A woman of means can go to her own private gynecologist and get either a chemical or an out patient abortion. In some cases that doctor may also have hospital privileges and may also provide later term abortions, when required. Do you think that doctor should also be denied Medicare or Medicaid/Medical reimbursements for qualifying services?

a reply to: windword

Women who use Planned Parenthood don't have family doctors or insurance.

that's isn't really true.. at least not all cases..
some people might have the insurance, but her doctor would charge her more than the planned parenthood so she will go to planned parenthood.

a reply to: dawnstar

You're right. I should have qualified my statement with "many" or "a lot", or even explained that some insurance companies won't cover birth control related doctors' visits, like Hobby Lobby's insurance, and their employees have to go to a place like Planned Parenthood for their reproductive health care needs.

a reply to: windword

Of course I think all drs should be paid, I question how important Planned Parenthood is to the health care system itself and if it really provides critical services that can not be gotten at a clinic. We do pay money to keep their doors open, I am asking if there are doors already open that provide much more than PP.

a reply to: misskat1

The money they are seeking to cut is for Title X, created under Nixon (1970) as a voluntary research program for "Family Planning". If you look up Title X at the Department of Health and Human Services you will see in plain words that there are 5 key provisions to Title X, the 5th being no Title X money can be used for abortions.

Of course leftists have twisted this push by the GOP saying they the GOP is "de-funding Planned Parenthood". The money Planned Parenthood receives for TItle X is directly from the federal government and not the same money as the states get for medicare. Medicare is unaffected because the states choose how to spend that money. For the sake of numbers and food for thought, Title X accounts for only 12% of the federal money Planned Parenthood receives.

Health insurance has existed for a great deal of time, id say since somewhere in the 20's. It was not until between the late 80's and early 90's that managed healthcare plans gained traction however, and there is no reason anyone living in poverty should not have access to healthcare by now be-it via Medicare or Medicaid.

In summary, Title X never covered abortion, and no one struggling to get by has an excuse to not have healthcare coverage. Title X is an obsolete money grab for consults that are already covered under your existing insurance.

Your welcome.

-d

but, it's questionable weather or not there is sufficient medical doctors/clinics/county healthcare clinics, ect. to the numbers of clients that planned parenthood serves in all areas of the country.
and, I am sorry, but contrary to what some state legislators want us to believe, you can't get a pap smear while you are visiting granny at the nursing home, and the school nurse at your child's school isn't going to give you a prescription for effective birth control and probably won't give them to you either.

so, can we add to that executive order that is banning medicaid and title x funds from planned parenthood, a provision that will force all doctors/clinics/hospitals, to accept medicaid and title x patients? since part of the problem is that more and more doctors seem to not want to take new medicaid patients every year, if they just don't opt out of the programs altogether.

a reply to: misskat1

As long as the law allows for employers and insurance companies to refuse to offer birth control related doctors' visits, women will need to go a clinic that offers them comprehensive, affordable and assessable reproductive health services.

This is guaranteed under Title X.