Planned Parenthood: What Exactly Are We Fighting For?
In hierarchical societies, the intentional policing of bodies is an effective tool to keep the oppressor successfully oppressing. It’s a centuries old tradition that transcends borders and ethnicities.
If you haven’t taken four years of classes in gender studies like I did, here’s a brief video to act as a primer. It explains why women in communities around the world are far too often implicitly and explicitly told what to wear, how to speak, who to defer to in decision-making moments, what to do with their bodies, and countless other examples. For how else would the patriarchy sustain itself?
And this policing of bodies? It’s happening right here, right now in America.
The brutally conceived mythology on Planned Parenthood by those on the political right is costing women and men across America access to life saving medical care.
So, what are we (those who care about reliable STD tests, annual testing for common cancers, pregnancy and post-birth care, abortion access, mental health crisis services, etc.) to do in the face of a well-planned attack on those very things?
We fight back. But first, we need to know what we’re fighting for.
What is Planned Parenthood and What Do They Do?
Unless you’ve been living under a rock the last decade, you’ve probably heard about Planned Parenthood. Depending on what side of the internet you live on, you may have heard widely different things.
On the one hand, you have a national movement tied in part, but not exclusively, to the pro-life coalition. These folks think Planned Parenthood is the big, bad wolf and want to strip all of its federal funding to make it effectively ineffective.
This way of thinking is championed by leaders like Senator Ted Cruz (R-UT) who have publicly said that Planned Parenthood “places more value on the sale price of babies’ body parts than it does on the sanctity of human life.”
On the other hand, you have a group of low income men and women, medical professionals, and activists fighting to ensure Planned Parenthood's federal funding like Title X funds, medicaid reimbursements, and grants from the Department of Health and Human Services remain flowing.
So, who’s right? Well, if you look at the facts, the answer is obvious.
Planned Parenthood has deep roots going back to Margaret Sanger’s pioneering work in Brooklyn, New York in 1916. She opened the first contraceptive clinic in the United States and following its opening, Sanger spent a month in jail for the heinous crime of informing women how to prevent pregnancy.
It’s almost like the patriarchy started well before Donald Trump! Shock! Horror!
The clinic later evolved into the American Birth Control League in 1921 and then became Planned Parenthood in 1942. It’s these early years that solidified the controversy of the organization and what continues to be a thorn in their side.
Now, there’s dissertations written on this topic that an interested reader is welcome to dive into. But the controversy then and now boils down to three things.
First, the birth control movement evolved in a time when eugenics was widely popular— this being the belief that humans should be intentional about reproduction to increase the chances of desirable heritable traits and wipe out others. So, for a movement that helped women control their own reproduction to coincide with a movement rooted in ableism and racism…well, you can see the problem. To this day, the Republican party’s most influential thought producer, The Heritage Foundation, uses the early years of Planned Parenthood and the life and legacy of Margaret Sanger against them.
Second, and perhaps even more appalling for the religiously motivated, is that birth control offered the opportunity for women to control the “divine plan” for the first time. In various religions, particularly Christianity, pregnancy is seen as part of God’s design and purpose for humanity. To disrupt that plan is not just offensive, but a sin.
And, thirdly, the success of Planned Parenthood offered new economic opportunities for women and the impoverished generally (listen to this podcast to hear why). Shifting power dynamics are never popular among those already in power. Just ask Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
This deep and complicated history doesn’t change the fact that Planned Parenthood offers a variety of medical services, both reproductive and otherwise, to women and men across the United States.
It’s a massive provider of all sorts of services and is made up of many separate non-profit organizations across the country. Their list of services includes:
Birth control
Emergency contraception
HIV services
Mental health
Pregnancy testing and planning
Prenatal and postpartum services
Sexual and reproductive concerns
STD testing and treatment
Abortion
Gender-affirming care
Vaccines
Wellness (like physicals) and preventative care (like pap tests and mammograms)
According to its own 2023-2024 Annual Report, Planned Parenthood served 2.08 million people providing 9.4 million services including 364,600 pap tests and breast exams, 2.2 million birth control services, 5.1 million STD tests and treatments, and 402,200 abortions that year.
Those are incredible stats and even more impressive are the demographics Planned Parenthood serves—primarily low income men and women.
According to Hal Lawrence, MD and Debra Ness, MS, “Three in five patients who come to Planned Parenthood for preventive care rely on federal programs for their care. In many areas, Planned Parenthood health centers are the only family planning option for those patients.”
The Political Context
Now that you know the why and what, it’s probably slightly less surprising that in the last 20 years there has been a renewal of anti-Planned Parenthood political activity.
It’s a long and heartbreaking story for advocates—one filled with assassinations of abortion providers in Kansas, new and strict state restrictions to abortion access, the Republican Party including defunding efforts as part of its national platform, and, most prominently, the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 (I worked in Congress at the time, and marched to the Supreme Court with Speaker Nancy Pelosi that day. I’ll never forget my boss, Congresswoman Dina Titus, taking me into her office and quietly saying she was so sorry before inviting me to join her and the most powerful woman in the world for a protest).
If you’d like a more detailed timeline of the attacks on abortion in America, visit here.
These efforts have been coupled with legislation introduced in both the House and the Senate. The nonpartisan research institute connected to Congress estimated in 2015 that one specific bill to end funding for Planned Parenthood could have dramatic impacts for services stating, “as little as five percent or as much as 25 percent of the estimated 2.6 million clients served by Planned Parenthood would face reduced access to care. For this estimate, CBO projects that 15 percent of those people would lose access to care.”
This wasn’t enough to deter the naysayers and their efforts continued. Now, fast forward to the second Trump term and post-Roe era.
Just last month, the United States Congress passed President Trump’s tax and spending package which would ban Planned Parenthood from receiving reimbursements from Medicaid, and effectively bankrupt the health provider since most Planned Parenthood patients are Medicaid recipients.
The good news is that a federal judge ruled a few weeks later that the government had to continue reimbursement, escalating the legal battle. As of right now, advocates and foes are gearing up for the legal battle of a lifetime. I don’t say this with the intent of fear-mongering, but this is Roe big.
How Can I Fight Back?
So, what the hell can an ordinary person (that’s you!) who just wants to see women have access to lifesaving care that provides economic security, freedom, and guarantees a life of dignity do?
I’m so glad you asked. This isn’t over.
It’s pretty well known in the political science world (a wonky circle I run in) that dictators cannot survive if there is sustained, overwhelming public discontent. When you get tired of doing the things below, try to remember that. Unfortunately, this is a marathon not a sprint—and, dear reader, I’m not a runner, so I feel your pain.
Utilize Your Representatives Near and Far
Call, email, and send postcards to your representatives. Not sure who they are? You’re not alone! Just use Google for the names and contact information you need. Here’s the folks you should try to reach:
City council members
City mayor
County administrator
State representative
State senator
Secretary of state (this is especially important in some states)
State attorney general
Governor
Federal representative in the House
Federal senator
Federal attorney general
And, the White House
Grab some snacks, open a bottle of wine, and invite your girls over to tackle the patriarchy together! I’ve been on the receiving end of those actions, and trust me, it makes a huge difference in determining the actions your elected official takes.
Talk to Your Friends
Normalize this entire conversation and encourage your friends to get their tests. The more they know about why these kinds of services are important for their own health, the more they’ll care about keeping them around. Don’t forget to talk to the men in your life too (news flash: they also need STD tests).
Attend Civil Gatherings If It's Safe For You to Do So
At some point, I’ll be writing a guide for folks who want to begin attending these kinds of things, but always remember to be safe, know your rights, and be respectful of other attendees by not taking their photos and keeping your distance.
Keep Yourself Educated
Believe me, I know how tempting it is to bury your head in the sand when it comes to politics. But that’s exactly what they want us to do. If we don’t know what’s happening, we can’t do anything to prevent it. Find a balance that works for your mental health, but paying some attention is critical.
Where Can I Get Planned Parenthood Services in Erie?
Unfortunately, if you’re an Erie, PA resident, you’ll have to travel to find a Planned Parenthood. Here’s a short list of the closest Planned Parenthoods near you:
