Many people seem to believe that the only service Planned Parenthood offers is abortions. People stand in front of their clinics and protest women “murdering” babies. However, Planned Parenthood offers so much more than abortions. They offer women many crucial services that they would not be able to get or afford in other places. Being a woman comes with many challenges, such as getting a period or being on birth control. When facing these challenges, most of the time, women are required to spend money. Birth control, for example, is not cheap, and places like Planned Parenthood offer birth control for very cheap prices—sometimes even for free!
Planned Parenthood does not only offer services women need for a very low cost, but they also have trained specialists that will help people who are struggling with things such as rape, sexually transmitted diseases and patient education. Those are things many people struggle with and do not have anyone to talk to. It is extremely difficult to go through that alone, but lucky Planned Parenthood exists to help those who need it when they are going through hard times.
Another thing many people do not know about Planned Parenthood is that they also offer services for men. On their website, some of the services that are offered include male infertility screening and referral, testicular and prostate cancer screening, men’s sterilization (vasectomy) and other men’s reproductive health services, amongst many others. Having access to these services is very important in order to accommodate a range of demographics, including low-income men. Many of these people would not have access to these services in other places. Things like prostate cancer screening are crucial since cancer can many times go unnoticed and only be found when it is too late for treatment. Therefore, diagnosing it early is crucial to a person’s life.
Another very important service that Planned Parenthood offers is pregnancy testing and services. Pregnancy is a very scary time for many people, and having access to things such as pregnancy planning services, childbirth classes and prenatal services are crucial for many men and women who are going through pregnancies. Being informed about your pregnancy will facilitate the mothers’ experience and ensure that the newborn baby has the best possible chance of a good life. Planned Parenthood also offers adoption services for women who are unable to give their newborn a good life but do not want to terminate the pregnancy.
Planned Parenthood offers a variety of services that gives both men and women a chance to live a healthy life. Their services are crucial to low-income individuals and help them stay safe, whether they are getting an abortion or just need things like affordable birth control and contraceptives, sexually transmitted disease treatments or cancer screening. Planned Parenthood offers so much more than abortions but even if that was the only service they offered, it would still be extremely important not only for low-income families but to all people looking for a safe, judgment free way to go through such a hard thing.