Planned Parenthood - Commentary

       After reading Brookes article on why planned parenthood should not be defunded, I decided to do my own research about it to learn more. I have always considered myself to be a pro-lifer and have had a very negative view of Planned Parenthood. I will admit, I viewed it more as an abortion center rather than the doctor's office that it is. After reading her critique and doing my own research, I do regret not supporting Planned Parenthood. Although I still do not agree with abortions, Planned Parenthood is so much more than that. 

In 2017, they provided birth control for nearly 2 million people, over 4.2 million STD tests and treatments, over 320,000 breast exams, and almost 295,000 Pap tests. Defunding Planned Parenthood would significantly decrease those numbers. Each woman or man that was treated by PP, was helped, comforted and taken care of. Those 2 million people on birth control are now having safer sex, the 4.2 million STI tests and treatments made somebodies life easier and the breast exams and pap tests made sure women bodies were safe and hopefully not suffering from something like cancer. Almost 7 million people were positively impacted by the help from Planned Parenthood. What would these 7 million have done without it?

Now after realizing how much Planned Parenthood does outside of abortion, I agree that they should not be defunded. The money isn’t coming from the government like Brooke said, but rather from being reimbursed from the medical companies. Planned Parenthood is a sexual health safe space which is much needed in our society. With pregnancy tests, STI tests and sexual health being a taboo topic, we need a place like Planned Parenthood where it is safe to bring up these topics.

Paid Parental Leave

The United states should have government funded maternity and paternity leave. A child is one of life’s greatest gifts and money should be the last thing a family stresses about in their first few weeks of being a new parent. A few countries such as Australia, Ghana and India offer paid maternity/paternal leave and have had glowing results. As the child of a single mom, I have seen the struggles of her being out of work and not being paid. I wonder how much better her mental state would have been had she had government aid. I wonder how much more time my mom would have been able to spend with my brother and I if she was able to have more time off instead of rushing back to work. 

Australia is the leader in paid maternity leave. They offer 18 weeks of paid leave if you qualify. They have a very simple qualification process with requirements such as having to have worked 10 of the 13 months before the child is born, be the primary care taker of the child, and make less than $150,00 single income per year. The parent will get a minimum wage weekly amount of $650 before taxes. This amount of money may not be large, but think about how much more you could provide for a child with an extra $2,000 a month. This would eliminate copious amounts of stress that financial burdens bring a family. I feel that the United States should adopt these requirements and the exact ways that Australia does their paid leave.

Second, the mental state of the mother and father is greatly affected by the governments financial aid. Women's health magazine published a study that showed that 12 weeks or less of maternity leave increases the risk of postpartum depression. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in new moms. If government assistance is all it takes the lower these number so that mothers can stay at home and recover longer without financial burdens, it is worth it. 

The United States is not doing what it should to help new families create the best beginning for their child. We need to consider the person more than the price tag we put on them. Mental health, and the Childs development in those first few moths is what we need to be paying most attention to. Lowering suicide rates and creating a better family environment will create a positive impact on both the baby and the parents. 

Citations-

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29729837

https://www.fairwork.gov.au/leave/maternity-and-parental-leave