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Planned Parenthood is the name of several federations of health clinics that are spread out across the world, (the International Planned Parenthood Federation, various regional federations, as well as country-specific ones) focusing on issues related to reproductive rights. It is both a reproductive services provider and a political organization that seeks to advance and preserve the legal status of the services it provides. It is a vocal political advocate of comprehensive sex education and holds a pro-choice position on the issue of abortion and expression of sexuality. This article focuses on the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA).

Facilities and funding

PPFA is a federation of 120 independent Planned Parenthood affiliates around the United States. These affiliates together operate nearly 850 locations, offering a variety of services to more than 5 million women, men and teens each year. Services include contraceptive (birth control) services; emergency contraception; screening for breast, cervical and testicular cancers; pregnancy testing and pregnancy options counseling; abortion services; testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases; sexuality education, menopause treatments; vasectomies and tubal ligations, and more. Not all services are available at all locations.

According to a recent statement from Karen Pearl, recent past interim president of PPFA, Planned Parenthood is the "largest source of reproductive health care in the (United States)".This statement appears as the opening statement in a letter signed by Karen Pearl (noted as "Interim President") distributed with a petition sent through the United States mail in 2005. In 2003, Planned Parenthood provided 244,628 surgical abortions, the largest of any abortion provider in the U.S. http://www.plannedparenthoodrx.com/annualreport/report-04.pdf

Planned Parenthood receives almost a third of its money in government grants and contracts ($265.2 million in FY 2004). It received $306.2 million in clinic income that year, $191 million in private contributions and bequests, $40 million in other income and $7.6 million from the Alan Guttmacher Institute for a total of $810 million.

Organizations such as the American Life League, who morally disagree with Planned Parenthood's mission and services, have set up campaigns and petitions to stop Planned Parenthood from receiving government funding.

History and Organization

Planned Parenthood began as the National Birth Control League, which was founded in 1916 under the leadership of Mary Ware Dennett. The organization was later renamed the American Birth Control League under the direction of Margaret Sanger. The League was influential in liberalizing laws against birth control throughout the 1920s and 1930s before changing its name to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. in 1942.

The founding of Planned Parenthood is most specifically associated with Margaret Sanger. Sanger was a birth control and family planning advocate who had been jailed numerous times for breaking New York's Comstock Laws against disseminating birth control information - Sanger had fled to England to avoid arrest at the time the National Birth Control League was founded by her friend Dennett. She was a socialist who advocated for availability of birth control to all women, regardless of race or social class. Sanger also supported some aspects of eugenics, a popular movement at the time.

On February 15, 2006, Cecile Richards, daughter of former Texas governor Ann Richards, became president of the organization.

Stand on political and legal issues

Planned Parenthood has been an extremely vocal advocate of birth control and legalized abortion since the 1940s. This advocacy includes contributing to sponsorship of abortion rights and women's rights eventsPlanned Parenthood was one of the co-sponsors of the March for Women's Lives, held April 25, 2004. and assisting in the testing of new contraceptives.Planned Parenthood has been engaged in large scale tracking of the effectiveness and safety of Mifepristone within its clinics. The group opposes virtually every restriction on abortion, including but not limited to
  • laws requiring parental consent or notification for girls under the age of 18 (or 17 in some states) to have an abortion
  • "informed consent" laws that require patients be informed of possible link between abortion and breast cancer and infertility, despite scientific evidence to the contrary.
  • laws requiring an ultrasound before abortion (many Planned Parenthood clinics perform, but do not require, ultrasounds)
  • laws requring a waiting period (ranging from a couple of hours to a day or more)

Planned Parenthood argues strongly for the wide availability of emergency contraception (EC) measuresEmergency Contraception - Planned Parenthood, and is an outspoken critic of pharmacists that refuse to dispense EC, legislatures that pass "refusal clauses" to sanction such refusalRefusal Clauses: A Threat to Reproductive Rights - Planned Parenthood, and hospitals which they claim obstruct access to EC for rape victims.Obstructing Access to Emergency Contraception in Hospital Emergency Rooms - Planned Parenthood They also heavily support and provide abortifacients such as Mifepristone.

Planned Parenthood also opposes abstinence-only education in public schools. Instead, it favors (and offers) comprehensive sex education, which includes discussion of both abstinence and birth control.

Due to their pro-choice stance Planned Parenthood generally supports Democratic Party candidates, though it has invested significantly in political efforts amongst Republicans who uphold a pro-choice stance.

Controversy and Criticism

In August 2005, amidst some controversy, Planned Parenthood Golden Gate (the San Francisco section of the organization) released an animated video depicting violence against those critical of Planned Parenthood, including the drowning of an abstinence proponent in lubricant, blowing up zombie-like demonstrators at their clinic, and decapitating a black woman with a giant condom. The link from its main page was quickly removed after some criticism began.
this link no longer works and a verified authentic replacement has not yet been identified, though this page claims to have links to the animation; Internet Archive does not currently list entries for the www.ppgg.org site after March 2005

Planned Parenthood has been accused in several cases of providing illegal late term abortions on minors without parental notification, and agreeing not to report statutory rape to the authorities. They have also withheld court subpoenaed medical records of minors who've sought "reproductive health services" in several instances.

Because Planned Parenthood provides abortions and contraceptives, pro-life citizens and organizations who view these actions as immoral often picket and protest outside Planned Parenthood run clinics.

LifeNews.Com recently criticized Planned Parenthood for their new advertisements including the chance to win an iPod and discounts on movie tickets. They believe this series of advertisements is aimed at teenagers, and do not believe teenagers should receive services from Planned Parenthood clinics.

An example of the age- targeted advertising is a poster depicting a teenage girl whispering into the ear of her friend with the caption, "Get free movie tickets? Yes. When you tell a friend about Planned Parenthood."

Planned Parenthood and the US Supreme Court

Planned Parenthood regional chapters have been active in the American courts. A number of cases in which Planned Parenthood has been a party have reached the Supreme Court of the United States.

Notable among these cases is the 1992 case Planned Parenthood v. Casey, where Planned Parenthood is the Southeast Pennsylvania Chapter, and Casey is the late Robert Casey, who was a pro-life Democratic Governor of Pennsylvania.

The ultimate ruling was a split plurality, in which Roe v. Wade was upheld in an opinion written by Justices Anthony Kennedy, Sandra Day O'Connor, and David Souter, all of whom were Republican appointees to the High Court, with Justices Harry Blackmun and John Paul Stevens (also Republican appointees) concurring with the main decision in separately written opinions. The High Court also struck down spousal consent requirements for married women to obtain abortions.

Dissenting were Justices William Rehnquist, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and Byron White, all of whom were Republican appointees except for Justice White. It should be noted that Justices Blackmun, Rehnquist, and White were the only justices who voted on the original Roe v. Wade decision in 1973 who were still on the High Court to rule on this case, and their votes on this case were consistent with their votes on the original decision that legalized abortion. *

Other Notable Cases

See also

External links

Critics of Planned Parenthood

Notes and references

Birth control | Abortion providers | Health and Disability rights organizations in the United States | Pro-choice organizations

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Planned Parenthood".

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