What would a world without Planned Parenthood be like?

Recently, Joss Whedon, Planned Parenthood supporter and screenwriter, made a short-film that’s gone viral, depicting what he envisions would happen if Planned Parenthood suddenly did not exist. Planned Parenthood has promoted the short film on their page, encouraging viewers to “#StandWithPP.”

A woman dies of cancer, a high school student contracts an STI, and a young woman becomes pregnant and can’t go to college – all scenarios that Whedon says would occur if Planned Parenthood were out of the picture.

But is this true? Would this happen? Is Planned Parenthood so critical to healthcare that if it suddenly disappeared, it would hurt our women?

To answer this, here’s what we need to consider:

1.Where do most women obtain their health care services?

There are about 63 million women of reproductive age (15-44) living in the United States, according to the Guttmacher Institute. As stated on their website, Planned Parenthood serves about 2.7 million men and women annually. This means that about 4.3% of American women go to Planned Parenthood.

In Illinois, there are about 2.6 million women of child-bearing age, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Illinois Planned Parenthood states on their website that they serve 60,000 men and women per year. This means that 2.3% of Illinois women use Planned Parenthood’s services.

So where do the other 97% of women in Illinois and 95% of women nationally go to receive health care?

Community care centers, federally qualified health centers, and other women’s clinics.

It seems to be that a large majority of women look outside Planned Parenthood for their health care needs.

2.Where do women receive the best quality of care?

A quality health care provider knows that women are more than just their ovaries. They treat the entire woman, including but not limited to their reproductive systems. They’ll provide her with comprehensive, safe, and honest services that address her most essential needs, as well as a variety of others.

According to Mayo Clinic, the top causes of death for women are heart disease, stroke, and cancer. To treat these major concerns, community care centers and federally qualified health centers provide women with mammograms, immunizations, heart screenings, and osteoporosis and diabetes care. They also offer comprehensive reproductive services and a variety of other amenities to meet their needs.

So what does Planned Parenthood provide?

Planned Parenthood provides abortion and other reproductive services. Contrary to popular thought, they do not provide mammograms.

The figure below shows a list of the services provided by federally qualified health centers compared to Planned Parenthood’s services.

Charted below are the services offered by federally qualified health centers compared to Planned Parenthood’s services. The information was taken from the Medicare Benefit Policy Manual and the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and compiled by the Alliance Defending Freedom.

 

Healthcare Service Provided	Planned Parenthood	Federally Qualified Health Centers
Emergency First Responder Care		√
Mammograms		√
Immunizations		√
Diabetes and Glaucoma Screenings		√
Pediatric Eye, Ear, Dental Screenings		√
Well-Child Services		√
Radiological Services		√
Cardiovascular Blood Tests		√
Bone Mass Measurement		√
Nurse on Staff		√
Birth Control	√	√
Manual Breast Exams	√	√
UTI Inspections	√	√
STD Testing	√	√
PAP/HPV Testing	√	√
Pelvic Exams	√	√

At the same time, keep in mind…

No Illinois Planned Parenthood is licensed by the state, according to the Department of Public Health. Planned Parenthood’s unlicensed abortion providers insert surgical tools into women’s bodies, and yet their facilities have not received a health and safety inspection in 16 years.

So what happens if you’re in an unplanned pregnancy? Planned Parenthood’s only solution: abortion. A recent investigation by Live Action showed that Planned Parenthood does not provide pregnant women with prenatal care or other support services.

Fortunately, the young pregnant woman in the video doesn’t need to feel like she is helpless and her dreams of going to college are over. In Illinois, there are over 100 pregnancy help centers available to women in unplanned pregnancies, who are there to walk with them and obtain for them the help and support they need to continue on with their pregnancies, while being able to pursue their dreams.

3.Where will people go if Planned Parenthood is defunded?

There are 700 Planned Parenthood facilities in the United States. Meanwhile, there are 13,540 other comprehensive care clinics located around the country, that provide the same services as Planned Parenthood, except for abortion. According to a study by the Alliance Defending Freedom. That means there are 20 comprehensive care clinics for every Planned Parenthood facility, nationwide.

In Illinois, there are 16 Planned Parenthood facilities. There are also 670 alternative care clinics located throughout the state. This means that for every Planned Parenthood facility in Illinois, there are about 41 alternative clinics, where patients can receive comprehensive care.

A list of the federally qualified health centers can be viewed here. The rural health clinics can be viewed here.

So what if Planned Parenthood disappeared? In this video, Students for Life of America shows us what would happen:

If Planned Parenthood was suddenly eliminated, community care centers and federally qualified health centers would provide women with numerous alternatives. This would spark growth and development for other women’s health care centers as well.

Now, do we need Planned Parenthood?

Based on the facts, it’s pretty fair to say that our state and our country will not suffer if federal funding is taken away from Planned Parenthood. A vast majority of American women do not go to Planned Parenthood, but seek outside care. Planned Parenthood also does not provide the quality, holistic health care services which other federally qualified women’s clinics do.

Furthermore, Planned Parenthood is not “critical to women’s health care.” Women have hundreds of alternative options that are widely available throughout the country. Shouldn’t women be able to decide with their own money which health centers stay open, rather than having one particular chain (Planned Parenthood) reinforced by the federal government?

Finally, and most importantly, the pink, decorative façade may be appealing, but this cannot smudge out the 888 children who are dying every day at Planned Parenthood clinics. Acording to its most recent annual report, Planned Parenthood ended the lives of 323,999 children by abortion in just one year. Nearly, 37 children lost their lives every hour. “Watch. Share. Slay.” Interesting choice of words for Planned Parenthood to use on their webpage promoting the short film.

So does an organization like this deserve the $528.4 million taxpayer dollars given to it just last year, according to its annual report?

The case against Planned Parenthood is so extensively appalling that we, along with a majority of Americans today, say no.