As a provider of low-cost or no-cost health care to over 2.8 million Americans each year, it is shocking to see Planned Parenthood “in the crosshairs” once again. Most recently, 46 US Senators voted to deny Title X funding to Planned Parenthood. (Title X is a federal grant program that funds family planning services.) There are over 400 clinics in California that received Title X funding in 2014 and most are not affiliated with them. Why single out Planned Parenthood?
Well, being a target is nothing new for Planned Parenthood. It’s been controversial since it was founded almost 100 years ago! After all, it was only in 1965 that the US Supreme Court overturned the last law against contraceptives. Contraception was a crime in Connecticut from 1879 to 1965. (Most other states had overturned their own versions of anti-contraceptive law by the 1950s).
That 1965 case was Griswold v Connecticut, and take a guess who brought the suit. Yes, it was Planned Parenthood. Estelle Griswold, Executive Director of Planned Parenthood League of Connecticut, was arrested in November 1961, charged and found guilty of providing birth control to married couples. Griswold fought the case up to the US Supreme Court and won the right of married couples to use contraceptives based on a “right to privacy” argument.
The impact of this case didn’t end there. Elements of the “right to privacy” argument have been used in subsequent cases concerning the right of unmarried persons to access birth control, the right of women to abortion, the right to consensual sexual conduct and even the right to same sex marriage.
Obviously, Planned Parenthood sits at the very contentious intersection of sexual freedom and the law. Besides playing a key role in challenging laws that criminalize individuals for their private behavior, they also have an impressive record as one of the largest publicly funded providers of health services in the country.
With 114 centers in California alone, Planned Parenthood provides a wide variety of discounted/low cost or no-cost health services including breast exams, cancer screenings, STD testing and treatment, and more. Providing abortion services, a completely legal procedure, represents a tiny percentage of their work (3%), and no federal funds are ever used for those services.
So what would be the impact of defunding Planned Parenthood? For one thing, there would be less funding to provide contraceptive care (which doesn’t make sense if the goal is to reduce abortions). After all, being unable to cope with an unplanned pregnancy is one reason that people seek an abortion. But Planned Parenthood does so much more! Their family planning services help keep babies healthy by reducing closely spaced births, prematurity and low birth weights. They also help parents avoid sexually transmitted diseases, cervical cancer and more – all of which prevents suffering and saves money on health care.
Not surprisingly, California takes a different view than many other states on the issue of reproductive rights. For example, the California Constitution offers stronger protections than the US Constitution regarding access to the full range of reproductive options. California’s Freedom of Choice Act includes an affirmative right to choose an abortion. There is also state regulation requiring that certain health insurance policies include abortion coverage, including those sold by Covered California. Further, the California Supreme Court has ruled that our constitution requires public funding of abortions for low-income women without medical justification or prior authorization.
So, what would be different if we had California-style Medicare for All/single payer healthcare? We would have the freedom to choose our preferred medical provider, including Planned Parenthood. We would enjoy easy access to all health services, including reproductive care. And we would be covered for all legal, medically necessary procedures (including abortion).
Our treatment decisions would be between us and our doctor. Guaranteed, affordable, high-quality and easily accessible health care would give us all greater peace of mind and the chance to fully enjoy our lives.
Learn more:
Planned Parenthood By The Numbers.pdf
More Info on Title X Family Planning
Wikipedia: Griswold v Connecticut
Planned Parenthood in California
Info on Unintended Pregnancies in California
NPR Fact Check: How does Planned Parenthood Spend Government Money
More on Benefits of Publicly Funded Family Planning Services
Reproductive Rights by State: California Profile
Lawrence O’Donnell on Employers Dictating Their Employees’ Reproductive Options