Normally I spend a lot of time trying to come up with a clever/ punny/ funny title for my Monday posts. But I’ve decided that this topic too important to get cute. So, without further ado:
#1 PP isn’t the only place that performs abortions, so defunding it to stop abortions is a false pretense right out of the gate.
#2 PP is already forbidden by federal law to use federal funds for abortions. People who claim that they are disobeying that law have clearly never been involved with a PTA, volunteer fire department, or been on a city or county board. It’s just not that simple. Every penny of government money has to be accounted for and money cannot be simply moved from one “bucket” to another. My husband was on our city council for 8 years and I cannot tell you how many times he had to explain this to people.
#3 The vast majority of services provided by PP are NOT abortions. PP is one of the largest providers of women’s health services in this country. These are services like pelvic exams, PAP smears, treatment for STD’s, education on and offering of birth control, and prenatal care. They also provide referrals to low cost providers of services they don’t provide such as mammograms. Multiple organizations have crunched the numbers and found that it will actually cost US taxpayers MORE for women to get these services elsewhere than what is currently being spent on PP funding.
#4 I personally used PP services for several years in my 20s when I didn’t good or any insurance for my yearly exams and birth control. I assure you that, at NO point during any of my visits, did anyone suggest that if my birth control failed I could just get an abortion. I never heard anyone even mention them, and I honestly don’t know if that was even a service offered at that location. People who claim that’s all they are about have clearly never stepped foot in one.
#5 Teen pregnancy rates have been falling for 30 years straight. Abotion rates have been falling since the late 70s. Fewer pregnancies = fewer abortions. Restricting access to education and birth control could reverse these trends and therefore do the exact opposite of what these misguided lawmakers are trying to do.
I am happy to continue this discussion with anyone who is interested in doing so in a rational, mature manner. Name calling and other immature behavior will not be tolerated.